For Hevans Sake
by shutupjeph
Summary: How Sam and Kurt finally get to the way things are supposed to be. Set before Christmas episode. Hevans. Furt and Sinn friendships, nothing more. Rated T for now, maybe more later. . .
1. Kurt Humble

Sam sat on the front steps of the Hummel household, pulling his sweater a little closer to combat the cold. He'd been out there for over an hour and the cold was finally getting the better of him. Sam heard the door open behind him, but didn't bother to see who it was. He knew Kurt would've noticed his absence by now.

"Sam, what are you doing? You'll catch your death out here." Sam just shrugged in response.

"Well whatever you're doing, can you do it inside? I want to go to bed but I can't sleep if I'm thinking about your muddy footprints leaving a trail to Finn's bedroom." Sam glanced down at his shoes, already knowing they were clear of mud. With the cold weather lately, Sam doubted there was any mud left in Ohio. A second later Sam got it. It wasn't about mud, but a different kind of filth. Sam's heart cracked as he stood up.

"Don't worry Kurt. I won't get my 'stripper filth' all over your house." Sam said as he stormed off to the beat up old truck he'd found for a couple hundred bucks. The past few weeks, Sam had fixed it up with Finn's help and now Sam could use it to deliver pizzas again. _I knew I shouldn't have come back, especially not with everyone knowing his big secret again. _

"Sam, wait!"

"What Kurt? Do you want to give your boyfriend a chance to stop by and throw in a few cheap shots too?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kurt said. Sam spun around and reached out to place his hand on Kurt's shoulder. A few inches before Sam made contact, Kurt flinched away from the friendly touch.

"That! That's what I'm talking about Kurt. You know after everything I've heard about you and Finn, I never thought Finn would be the more accepting brother." Kurt just looked at Sam, not even trying to come up with a response.

"You know it sucks that you had no problem being my friend when my family lived in a dingy motel, but now you don't even look me in the eye." Kurt's stubbornness forced him to look Sam in the eye. The cold, unsympathetic eyes were like a dagger in Sam's heart.

"You didn't choose to be homeless Sam, but you chose to degrade yourself for a few bucks and a nice confidence boost as the women fainted at the sight of your abs."

"Screw you Kurt." Sam said, opening the door of the pickup. Kurt's arm shot out and held the door in place.

"Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong." Kurt expected a look of hatred to be on Sam's face as he turned around. The water in Sam's eyes hit Kurt's wall of anger like a wrecking ball.

"Kurt. You have no idea how wrong you are." Sam said as the first drop of salty water fell down his tanned face. Sam took advantage of Kurt's confusion and pulled the door out of his hands. Kurt watched as the taillights rounded the corner.

A few minutes later, Finn walked outside.

"Hey Kurt, where's Sam? I just made up his bed in my room." Finn followed Kurt's gaze out into the street, looking for Sam.

"Why was Sam stripping Finn?"

"Uhmm Money?" Finn said, not quite sure what Kurt was looking for. Finn knew there was more to the story than needing new sneakers for Stevie, but Sam's secrets had never really stayed secret. There was no point in forcing another one to be the topic of Monday's gossip. "Why? What did you say to Sam, Kurt?"

"Something about stripping for the attention." Kurt said, not really sure what was going on. He was confused and out of the loop. There was nothing Kurt hated more.

"God Kurt." Finn said as he walked back into the house to grab his keys to find Sam. Finn passed Kurt on the driveway and did his best to contain his frustrations. Finn had changed a lot in the past few years but patience was still on his to do list.

"Kurt you know more than anyone how close-minded I can be. I took me a while to realize how stupid I was being, and how much I was hurting people that I cared about; how much I was hurting you. But at least I can admit that I was wrong. No one ever calls you on your bullshit because they're afraid to hurt your feelings but damn it Kurt, open your eyes.

"Finn, don't."

"No Kurt. Everyone knows how you yelled at Blaine for even thinking that bisexuality was a possibility." Kurt winced at the mention of Blaine.

"You sat in the Glee room and got mad at everyone for believing in God. It didn't matter that Artie or Quinn needed to believe in something. All you could see was a group of people who didn't quite share your exact beliefs so you tore down theirs. You called God a dwarf with lightening boobs, Kurt."

"My dad was dying Finn!"

"I know Kurt. But Burt's been doing really well for over a year and you still haven't apologized or let those people back into your life." Finn walked up to his brother and pulled him into a hug. "I love you Kurt and I'll always stand up for you no matter what. But I expected more from you."

"That's what Sam said." Finn didn't respond, just hugged Kurt a little tighter before going to his car and starting the engine. A knock on his window made Finn jump and shift the car back into park.

"Finn, I need to find him and apologize."

"Hop in."

"I need to do it alone." Finn nodded and unbuckled his seat belt.

"You wreck the car, you fix the car." Finn joked as Kurt slid into the driver's seat. "You know where he is?"

"I've got a pretty good idea."

* * *

><p>Kurt drove the dark roads in silence, his mind still reeling over Finn's words. <em>I don't think I've ever heard Finn say so much. <em>Kurt had as much pride as any performer ever does and always tried to escape an admission that he was to blame. And although Kurt knew he could turn around and refuse to apologize, he would know that he was wrong. As Kurt pulled into a parking lot and spotted Sam's car, he focused on Finn's last words before he'd let Kurt go.

"Some things are more important than being right. You've just got to decide if this is one of them."

With Sam, it wasn't even a question. Kurt opened his car door and walked up to the motel patio leaving his phone and his pride in the car.

"What are you doing here Kurt?" Sam said, his blonde hair in disarray and his checks stained with tears.

"I came to apologize Sam. Whenever things got bad for me, you were always there with a shoulder to cry on or a fist to defend me. You were the only one that genuinely didn't care who or what I was. You never judged me. I'm sorry that I haven't done the same. So I'm here to listen, when you're ready."

"What do you want to hear Kurt? How much I loved all that female attention?" Sam spat out.

"I was wrong to say that Sam. I was mixing my issues with yours. I'm sorry."

"What issues Kurt? What's going on?" Sam's immediate concern and forgiveness should have shocked Kurt, but it didn't. That's just who Sam was.

"No. I want to hear what was going on with you this summer. Finn said you started out working at DQ?"

"At first, yeah. My dad's job paid for the house, but not much else. Mom tried getting work but it was talking a while. So I got a second job as a janitor. All summer long I was working 60 hours a week to feed my family and pay for gas. Luckily when school was about to start, Mom found a job. I quit the DQ and went to school. A couple weeks in, Stevie got really sick and my mom caught it. She tried to keep going to work, but when it turned into pneumonia, she had to stay home. I sat down with Dad to figure out a budget to get by, but our plan overlooked some things like medicine and gas and repairing his broken car and then the fridge when it broke. I tried to get my job back at the DQ but they'd already replaced me. Just working as a janitor wasn't enough.

"One night I was emptying the trash when I saw a flyer for the club. The next day I stopped by with a fake ID Puck gave me. They hired me to dance starting that night. I used the money to fill the gas tank when my family was sleeping. Whenever we needed something that the budget couldn't cover, I'd use the money to buy it all and leave it in a box on our door from 'A Kind Neighbor.' Dad couldn't believe the community was willing to help the new family on the block, but he was grateful so he didn't ask questions. Before I left, I told Stevie that I knew Santa's address and since he was such a good boy, Santa would deliver whatever he needed all year long. I gave him the address to the only friend I made in Kentucky. She promised me that she'd collect the things for me and send me the receipts to pay her back. I know it's awful to leave my family, but I had to get out of there."

Sam's story was interrupted by the tears streaming down his face. Kurt pulled Sam's perfect golden hair out of his eyes and let Sam lean on his shoulder. Sam let out a small sob and wrapped his arms tight around Kurt's waist.

A head peeked out of Sam's old motel room to see what the noise was. Kurt mouthed an apology and slid his arms under Sam's to help him stand up. Sam's arms refused to let go of Kurt until they reached the car. Kurt made Sam let go so they could talk inside the warmth of his car. Kurt didn't move to drive back home. He just sat, waiting for Sam to continue.

"I hated it Kurt. I refused to take my underwear off, but the women only had one place to put the money. I have scars from their long nails. Kurt. . ." Sam broke off again, succumbing to more tears. Kurt was filled with anguish at the sight of his strong friend so vulnerable and wounded. He leaned over and pulled Sam into another hug, not knowing what to say. _I should have known Sam was sacrificing for his family. Sam's never been selfish._

Kurt was pulled from his thoughts by the wet lips pressed against his cheek. Sam pulled back from the hug and focused his red and puffy eyes on Kurt's.

"I just really missed you Kurt."

"I . . . I missed you too Sam." Kurt tried to contain the swell of emotions that Sam's sudden look of joy was causing in his chest.

"So things will be back to how they used to?" Sam asked, his voice hopeful his face pulling the most adorable puppy dogs eyes.

"No." Sam looked like dog after being hit with a rolled up newspaper.

"Oh."

"It'll be better. I'll be better this time Sam." Sam's face lit up again pulling on Kurt's hearstrings.

_I love you Kurt._ Sam thought, but chickened out and said "You're the best Kurt."

Kurt rolled his eyes, still ashamed at his actions. Sam was quick to forgive, but Kurt would take a while to forgive himself. It's just the way it is. "Come on, let's go home. We'll pick up your truck tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Finn looked down at his phone while he was waiting for his character to respawn on HALO. He'd missed a text from Kurt over an hour ago. Finn paused the game and read the message.<p>

_I found Sam. He didn't want to wake you up so he's bunking with me tonight. Thank you Finn. I'm sorry about the way I've been. I'm lucky to have you as a brother to keep me in check. Love ya. ~Kurt_

A year ago, that text would have freaked Finn out, especially the 'love ya.' Now he was just glad his brother was still the cool guy he usually was. Finn decided to make sure they didn't need more blankets or want to set the cot up in Kurt's room. With Mom and Burt. . . Dad gone, Finn decided he was his job to play host.

He walked down the stairs and peeked into his brother's room. He watched for a moment as Sam pulled Kurt closer on the bed. Sam had decided to sleep in his jeans, throwing his t-shirt on the floor. Finn knew Kurt felt sorry because there was no way anyone else would be allowed to leave their shirt lying around let alone get into Kurt's bed with dirty clothes. Just as Finn was about to leave he heard something that made him freeze.

"Kurt." Sam whispered. To Finn it sounded like a sacred word. Finn looked at the tanned blonde and how closely he was spooning Kurt before softly shutting the bedroom door. _Maybe Sam's got another secret for everyone to gossip about._ Finn thought as he made his way back to his games of death and destruction. _I wonder how Blaine will react. . ._


	2. Sam Shops

For Hevans Sake -2

Kurt woke with a start to the sound of his alarm going off. After lightly abusing the annoying electronic clock, Kurt slumped back into bed and the warm embrace that welcomed him. The fog of sleep reclaimed Kurt's mind for a moment before it hit him. Someone's arm was pulling his chest tight against a warm and firm body. Confused, Kurt turned his head, trying not to wake the person spooning him. Kurt spied the golden locks and immediately knew it was Sam. Kurt's mind went into overdrive, rehashing all of the issues Finn had brought up with Kurt about his refusal to respect someone's boundaries. _Crap crap CRAP! On top of everything else, now I have to deal with this? _Kurt chastised himself silently. Then he realized that Sam was cuddling him, not the other way around. Kurt's mind immediately switched from defense to denial. _Sam's just a sleep spooner. It's nothing. _The excuse seemed to fit until Kurt noticed Sam's breathing wasn't the smooth and even pace of slumber.

"Good morning." Sam said his voice scratchy from the earliness of the hour. The noise made Kurt jump and move away from Sam, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. Sam let his hand linger on Kurt's waist before pulling back and giving Kurt his space. Soon, Sam's drowsiness made him forget why he shouldn't be holding Kurt in his arms, so he extended his hand and pulled Kurt back into the position of Little Spoon. It was a Sunday and Sam was determined to sleep in. He nuzzled his nose near Kurt's neck and succumbed to the calming effect Kurt always seemed to have on him.

Kurt gave into the embrace, feeling safe so close to Sam's warmth and strength. A second later, tears started falling from Kurt's eyes. Kurt couldn't stop the tears but he bit his lip to refrain from letting a sob escape. The moisture of Kurt's tears betrayed the boy's distress to Sam as the tears fell onto his hand.

"I'm SO sorry! Am I hurting you? I'll let you go. Did you break something? What can I do?" Sam rambled, sitting up and running his surprisingly soft thumb under Kurt's eye to wipe away the tears. Kurt's heart stung at the sight of the anguish on Sam's face.

"Damn it. I swore I wouldn't cry anymore!" Sam flinched as Kurt's face suddenly switched from broken to incredibly annoyed. Something wasn't right and the lack of knowledge was kicking Sam's anxiety into overdrive.

"Anymore? Kurt, what are you crying about? What's wrong?" Kurt just shook his head and stared down at his hands, composing himself again.

_Fine, you don't have to tell me, but you're not getting rid of me until you do._ Sam thought, all desires to sleep in gone from his mind. Kurt needed to get out and stay busy. Luckily, Sam had the night off work.

"Alright. You don't have to talk. I've got plenty of stories about Stevie and Stacey I've been dying to tell someone. But you don't get to hear a single "darnedest thing" that my kid siblings said until your face is properly moisturized and I've had a chance to shower. Up you go Kurt." Sam said, getting out of bed and pulling Kurt up with him. When Kurt sat down at his vanity mirror, Sam scooped yesterday's shirt off the floor and headed up to Finn's room to get a change of clothes. Halfway there, Sam's phone buzzed with a picture message from Finn. He squinted past Finn's thumb covering half picture to make out his shirtless body pressed next to Kurt. Sam sped up the last few steps and opened Finn's door without knocking.

"Hey there Snuggle Bunny. How'd you sleep?" Finn said with a sarcastic grin on his face.

"Please tell me you didn't send that to anyone else." Sam pleaded as he riffled through his duffle bag of clothes.

"No, why? You ashamed?" Finn's voice sounded a little harsh, clearly ready to defend any straight guys' ability to share a bed with Kurt without "catching the gay." Sam rolled his eyes in dismissal of Finn's implied accusation.

"No, it's just. . . Have you noticed anything weird about Kurt lately? Has he told you anything?" Sam asked, a little hurt by the thought that Kurt would share something with Finn and not Sam.

"We had a little disagreement last night about him chasing you off, but that's it. Why? What's going on?" Finn said, starting to get a little worried.

"No idea. I'm gonna spend the day with Kurt if that's okay with you." Sam said, not really asking.

"Good idea. I'll find out if Rachel knows something."

"You mind keeping it on the DL. Glee can get a little . . . over involved sometimes."

"Yeah I'll be like a ninja." Finn said as he walked to his closet change despite his already dressed state. "I'll wear black and wear a ninja hairstyle. Ooh! Or I could be a spy and wear the tux from the wedding."

Sam chuckled at how Kurt's obsession for the perfect outfit had rubbed off on Finn, at least a little bit.

"Don't you think wearing a tux for a day of movies and helping Rachel paint her Oscar room might be a tip off?" Sam said hesitantly. Sometimes correcting Finn caused a feeling close to kicking a small dog. Fortunately, Finn was getting better at taking criticism.

"Totally dude. Ninja it is. Way cooler anyway." Sam rolled his eyes as he walked out the door to a quick shower and a day with Kurt.

* * *

><p>Sam was really starting to get worried. The music store hadn't improved Kurt's mood at all. In fact, Kurt seemed a little worse. It was time to pull out the big guns.<p>

"Okay it's time for Stevie's big story." I said, breaking the silence in the car. "A few weeks ago he got really mad because I didn't want to eat hot dogs with Stacey and him at the park. He scrunched up his face and said 'I like wieners. Kurt likes wieners too. I bet he'd eat wieners with me.' I almost choked on my cup of water as the older ladies in the park gave Stevie a dirty look. It was hilarious."

Once the story was out of Sam's mouth, he immediately regretted it. _How in the world did you think that a story about a gay joke would help things? _Sam focused his eyes on the road as he continued to berate himself silently. Kurt let out a soft chuckle and Sam's eyes shot to his face to catch the amazing smile on Kurt's face for the first time all day. Sam couldn't help but smile too.

Sam shifted the car into park and prepared himself for the ultimate sacrifice, volunteering to be Kurt's pack mule during a shopping trip to the mall. Sam had heard horror stories, but keeping that smile on Kurt's face was a worth it. Two hours later, Kurt declared Sam's pack mule duties over. Kurt piled his small collection of bags in the back of the car and turned to re-enter the mall. Sam looked confused. _Didn't Kurt just say I didn't have to carry bags anymore?_

"Did you forget something inside?"

"Nope. It's your turn Sam." Kurt said with mischief in his eyes.

"Comic book store?" Sam said half asking half pleading. Kurt just shook his head and pulled Sam into the maze of holiday shoppers. Kurt had sent him into the fitting room with a small mountain of clothes, none of which Sam would have picked. When Kurt was selecting the items, he slapped Sam's hand away from the price tags but now Kurt couldn't hide the high prices of the clothing items. Kurt noticed that Sam was talking on awfully long time to put on the first outfit and knocked on the dressing room door.

"Is everything okay Sam?" Sam's anxiety was about to result in a panic attack and Sam had to focus to calm himself. Kurt opened the dressing room door and peeked in to see Sam still standing in his original clothes running a hand through his golden hair. "Sam what's wrong?"

"Kurt I can't afford to buy any of these, let alone a whole outfit."

"Who said anything about you paying? You're a member of the Hummel household now, at least until you move into Rachel's guest room next week. And being a Hummel means that I have the right to buy you clothes with my Dad's credit card. Just ask Finn. A year ago he was wearing pants that were a size too small and didn't understand the concept of layering to hide his nipples from Santana's evil eyes. Now he's much better and Santana. . . well she still makes fun of him but that can't be helped."

"I'm not accepting charity Kurt. It's already too much that your family is letting me stay there for free."

"Stop it Sam. This isn't for you. It's for me. I love to shop but at this rate I'll never get around to wearing the clothes I already have."

"At least let me pay you back over time."

"how about you repay me by putting on those slacks with a smile."

"Why do I feel like I'm not going to win this argument?"

"Because you're smarter than most blondes. Now hurry up."

To be honest, Sam couldn't really tell what Kurt was looking for when he appraised each outfit. He'd always felt just fine in jeans and a t-shirt. One outfit seemed to be no different from the next. That was until Sam slid on the light gray slacks. They just felt awesome, which was surprising for dress clothes. Sam picked up the maroon dress shirt that Kurt had selected and slid it over his white wife beater. Luckily, Kurt hadn't asked Sam to wear a tie so he could leave the top button undone. Then Sam slipped on the matching gray vest and looked into the mirror. It struck Sam how important he looked, like someone with prestige and power. Kurt knocked softly on the door before entering the dressing room.

"Wow." Sam looked at Kurt over his shoulder and caught him staring at the back of Sam's pants.

"So I know that the vest looks ab-ulous but can you tell me if these pants show off my ass-ets?" Sam joked and felt his heart stretch with joy as a blush crept onto Kurt's face as he mumbled a reply. "Sorry didn't catch that."

"Shouldn't you be mad at me for objectifying you?"

"Is that what you were doing?" Sam said causing a fresh wave of red to hit Kurt's milky pale cheeks.

"Maybe."

"I'm flattered."

"Most guys would freak if they saw me looking at them like that."

"I'm not most guys, Kurt." He nodded and left the dressing room so Sam could change. Through the door, Kurt heard Sam whisper, "and maybe I don't mind you looking at me in that way Kurt."

The rest of the shopping trip passed by in relative silence. Kurt purchased the gray and maroon dress clothes as well as a few pair of jeans and a black leather jacket that had sent Kurt's mind spinning with inappropriate thoughts spurred on by his teenage hormones. This time, Kurt had kept his eyes from lingering and bit his lip to contain the comments of Sam's sex appeal in that jacket.

As the cashier was bagging up Sam's clothes, Sam and Kurt both got a text message from Mr. Shue.

Pop Quiz Glee Assignment: Find a song that captures how you're feeling. Instead of singing it yourself, switch with a partner. You'll all preform on Monday. The first pair to text me their song choices gets to go first.

"Mind ditching Blaine for this one and pairing with me?" Sam asked as he finished reading the message. He looked up and saw a shadow fall across Kurt's face.

"Blaine's gone Sam." Kurt looked away, having finally admitted his failed relationship to someone else.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam said hesitantly, knowing that Kurt would benefit from getting it all on the table.

"I'd like to say no, but I guess talking about it is inevitable."

"Not really. I'll just cover your ears when someone says the B word."

"Bitch?"

"No Blaine. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to Kurt. But if you do, I'd love nothing more than to hear the story and be allowed the permission of kicking his butt if you let me."

"No butt kicking Sam. I guess it's really not that big of a deal. Blaine started sleeping with Sebastian."

"I'm sorry but how is that not a big deal?"

"Cheating is a big deal, but losing Blaine isn't."

"I thought you loved him." Sam said cautiously.

"I . . . loved the idea of him. The truth is that we were only together because we were the only gay kids around. When Sebastian came into the picture I knew it was just a matter of time."

"I'm sorry. I'm still a little confused. If you didn't love him and aren't upset about losing him, why have you been crying?" Sam said with perhaps a little too much edge in his voice.

"Lots of reasons. Now I'm alone again. My failed relationship means the New Directions lost Blaine to the Warblers. Mostly it's the whole infidelity thing that gets under my skin. If he wanted to be with Sebastian, he should have broken things off with me first. Plus it's a huge blow to my confidence. The whole can't keep ahold of my man complex."

"Maybe you should find a man that wants to keep ahold of you." Sam said as he put his arm around Kurt. They walked through the mall, unfortunately for Sam not heading to the comic book store. Instead they were headed to the car again and off to dinner.

"Okay I'm all for singing a sad song about losing Blaine but please don't make me do Adele. The girl's amazing and I just don't have the range to do her justice." Sam said as he looked longingly at the fork in their path that would lead to comics and collectables.

"Deal. So what love song are you going to make me sing to Mercedes?"

_Speak of the devil._Sam thought as he spied his ex-girlfriend sharing an orange smoothie with her bulldozer of a boyfriend. The look on Mercedes face should have caused Sam's heart to break, but instead he smiled.

Kurt followed Sam's gaze to Mercedes and her love-struck face. He looked back at Sam expecting him to be as upset as the time Quinn had cheated on him. Kurt had overhead Sam's declaration to win Mercedes back in the halls last week. But Sam's genuine smile at the sight of Mercedes in love was more than confusing to Kurt.

"Are you okay?" He asked Sam.

"I just thought this Shane guy was a rebound and Mercedes was waiting for me to come back. I thought she wanted me to fight for her. But only a fool tries to fight love. She's happy and that's enough for me."

Sam let out a chuckle which confused Kurt even more.

"What?"

"I just practically quoted one of my Mom's favorite songs from the early 90s. I guess I found your song." Sam said pulling Kurt closer as they exited the mall together.

**AN: With Klaine and Samcedes gone I can finally get to Hevans. Kudos if you know which song I'm referring to. I'll try and post the next chapter tomorrow or maybe tonight if my last final goes well. Thanks for the reviews already. I swear, fanfiction is my personal form of crack.**


	3. Songs and Stars

"You've got to stop looking at me like that." Kurt whispered quietly to Sam as the pretended to listen to Mr. Shue's lecture about diction. It was Monday and they were sitting in an early morning rehearsal to make time for their performances in class before Christmas. Mr. Shue thought the early practices would keep them on track, but everyone was so tired or distracted that no one was paying attention.

"Looking at you like what?" Sam asked innocently when Mr. Shue turned back to the whiteboard.

"Like I'm about break. I'm not made of glass Sam, or porcelain despite what Coach calls me."

"I'm sorry. I don't think you're weak. I just know breakups are hard, especially with everyone asking where your ex is. You know there's a reason they say the first cut is the deepest."

"Well if that's true, everything I've heard of love must be remarkably fictionalized."

"What do you mean?"

"If my feelings for Blaine were as deep as love gets, love is pretty shallow. There's a reason I picked that song for you, Sam. I'm over it."

"I . . . just thought maybe you were sorta trying to pretend you were doing okay so I wouldn't worry."

"I wouldn't do that." Sam just cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Okay maybe I would."

"See. And it would be stupid because I'd just be more worried that you had to hide it from me."

"Fine. What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm over . . . 'him'?"

"You don't have to prove anything to me Kurt. I just want to be there for you. Trust me, I want to believe that you don't have feelings left over for 'him', but I know it takes time."

"You didn't seem to take much time to get over Mercedes. Does that mean you still have feelings for her?" Kurt challenged, and for some reason he didn't want to be right this time.

"No. It's different though."

"Okay. I believe you. See it isn't that hard." Kurt said, more than pleased to win the argument this way instead of proving Sam's enduring feelings for his Diva friend.

"Well of course it isn't hard for you. You're exceptional." Sam blushed after the words left his mouth, unsure where his filter had run off to this morning. His next actions surprised him even more as he said, "Maybe you'll just have to teach me." Sam pulled his best suggestive yet flirtatious face and waggled one eyebrow at Kurt.

Before Kurt could respond, Mr. Shue cleared his throat. Both boys noticed that the entire Glee club was watching them. Without noticing, they had leaned in closer and closer as their short conversation had progressed. Sam's nerves tingled as he felt the few inches separating his cheek from Kurt's smooth face with those starlit eyes. Despite the eyes on him, Sam couldn't decide if he should move away or close the gap between them by pressing his lips against Kurt's while his hand roamed to the back of Kurt's neck to pull him in closer.

Sam didn't get to act though as Kurt leaned in the opposite direction and lifted a hand up to perfect his hair. Sam watched Kurt; his eyes still slightly gazed over from his thoughts about the perfect countertenor. The rest of Glee turned back to Mr. Shue's lesson and even Kurt seemed to be paying attention. Sam continued to focus on Kurt, trying to read through Kurt's mask of disinterest. Mr. Shue regained Sam's attention for a moment when he commented on the perfect enunciation that Kurt executed in his songs, but once he moved on from the subject of Kurt, Sam's attention returned to the source of his internal stress. Sam realized that Kurt wasn't paying attention to Mr. Shue either when he found the teen's face unaffected by the teacher's praise. Kurt normally lit up when he received his far too few bits of recognition. Kurt's mind was obviously elsewhere.

Kurt kept his eyes glued to the whiteboard in the front of the room. Although he could feel Sam staring at him, Kurt refused to return the gaze. He knew that one look would make him turn beet red from embarrassment about the thoughts currently running through his head. It's all Sam's fault for giving him that come hither look. Now all Kurt could think about was what could happen if Kurt decided to listen to Sam and come hither. He was trying to change the theme of his thoughts about his _straight_ friend, but the few words that Kurt could hear from Shue's lecture weren't helping. Terms like 'diction' and 'tongue placement' were not words that led to prudish trains of thought.

It took until the end of the lesson for Kurt to cool down from his 'hot and bothered' state of mind. As they made their way to their first classes of the day, Kurt stopped Sam just inside the choir room.

"You know it really isn't fair to give me those suggestive faces. You might give a guy the wrong idea."

"What idea?" Sam asked, not quite able to make it sound innocent. Without waiting for an answer, Sam turned and walked to his first class.

For Sam, the whole day seemed to drag on. He stared at the clock for so long, it seemed to stop moving. _Maybe it's like one of those melting clocks in that painting that Mom loves._ Sam thought. But the reminder that he was far from his family seemed to make Kurt's absence from his side an even more unbearable fact and the time moved slower. His teacher before lunch had actually stood on a table to remove the clock from the wall to force Sam to pay attention. Luckily, it was advanced cooking so Sam had something to keep his hands busy. With the bruschetta and pepper chicken in the oven, Sam got to work cleaning his station. While he wiped down the counters, Sam imagined what Kurt would look like in an apron. Sam decided that Kurt would never love cooking because of the havoc the ingredients would wreak on his designer clothing, but this only made Sam thing about Kurt in an apron and nothing else. The timer dinged causing Sam to jump in surprise. He quickly removed the food from the oven and transferred it to a paper plate waiting on the small counter. Too impatient to let the pan cool, Sam turned the sink on to warm water and dipped the pan under the spray to speed the cooling process. With the pan cleaned and properly stowed, Sam pulled his best puppy dog face at his teacher and glanced longingly at the door. His teacher sighed and nodded her head. Sam was one of her best students. Although he'd never taken a cooking class before, Sam had learned how to feed his family last year when money was tight. Sam's teacher chuckled at the boy's childish grin as he darted out of the classroom, only to return a moment later for his abandoned food and backpack.

Kurt walked out his class as the bell rang for lunch and was surprised to see Sam waiting for him. Sam handed Kurt the paper plate of food and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Kurt convinced himself that the arm steering him to the auditorium was a friendly gesture and did his best to block the thoughts from this morning from returning to his mind. He and Sam needed to practice their numbers on stage and work out the lighting with the AV club. Their rushed performances wouldn't be anything fancy, but Kurt didn't want to stand on a lit stage with the house lights on. It was just too unprofessional. Besides, a simple spotlight would help keep the focus on the stage.

Sam was quickly frustrated by the seemingly incompetent members of the AV club. I mean how hard was it to turn all the lights off and just leave one on? Kurt's presence calmed him though, and the compliments on the food made in class made Sam's cheeks smart from all the smiling. As far as Kurt was concerned, Sam had no idea what was going on. Kurt had been so protective of his emotions lately, which wasn't abnormal, but now more than ever Sam needed to be able to react to those emotions properly. Sam sighed and told himself to calm down. Even if things worked out perfectly, it was going to take some time to get what he wanted.

Once the dry run was completed, Sam and Kurt made plans to hang out after Sam's afternoon work shift as they made their way to class. Normally Sam would be bitter about missing lunch and even more upset about giving his food away, but Kurt was so small. Sam couldn't help but give him his food. At least, Sam tried to convince himself that Kurt's stature was the only reason Kurt had so much power over him.

Sam dropped Kurt off at his history class and Kurt went in to try and pry secrets out of Mercedes about her song choice and partner. The diva made time pass faster than expected and soon Kurt was headed to Glee with Mercedes on his arm. Twenty minutes later Sam and Kurt were doing their best not to laugh at the look on Mercedes' face. She was beyond angry. Kurt let out a soft chuckle. _It serves her right for making Artie sing the Supremes, though maybe he should have been smart enough not to turn it into a rap. _The songs had been pretty predictable so far. Rachel had chosen a show tune for Finn to sing and in return had made a classic rock song sound like it belonged on Broadway. When Brittany got on the stage to sing the sultry tones of the recently deceased Amy Winehouse, Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes. Everyone in glee has a different style and that diversity is what makes their group so strong. They're all talented but that doesn't mean they can be amazing at any kind of song. It was glaringly apparent with each performer's discomfort, that they hadn't chosen their song. Sure, they felt the emotion behind the lyrics, but if Sam asked me to sing Linkin Park I'd probably feel as uncomfortable as Puck singing For Good at Quinn's request.

Kurt bit the inside of his lip as Sam's turn, hoping his selection would be in Sam's wheelhouse. As the blonde angel sat on the wooden stood with his guitar in hand, Kurt's doubts were washed away by the smooth sound of Sam's voice.

_I should be out in that driveway stopping you._

The first line was all it took for Glee to figure out who had picked Sam's song. Mercedes had subtly informed everyone about the Blaine situation at Sam's request. Mercedes reached over and grabbed her friend's hand to provide the comfort that was almost unnecessary. Kurt really was over Blaine. The only lingering emotions were sadness that it wasn't something greater than it ended up being.

_All I wanna do is turn the page_

Sam's eyes closed to contain the emotion as he finished the second verse and the rest of Glee joined in as backup for the rest of I Feel Bad by Rascal Flatts. Sam blushed as the club applauded his amazing ability to sing country. Sam returned to his seat next to Kurt as Mercedes took the stage. While they waited for her to get ready, Sam leaned in to Kurt to whisper.

"So I had a thought while singing that song."

"Really?"

"Umm. Yeah and I was wondering if it might be . . . I dunno. . . . true I guess."

"What were you thinking Sam?"

"Well that maybe losing Blaine didn't make you feel bitter and alone because . . . well . . . maybe you started having feelings for someone else?"

Both of them knew what Sam was really asking, but neither had the courage to admit it. Sam was afraid of the consequences on their friendship if he was wrong, while Kurt was scared about what Sam would do if he found out how accurate his thoughts were.

Kurt was about to answer when Mercedes started the music. They both fell silent as Mercedes sang Out Here On My Own from Fame. Kurt let himself get distracted by the implications the song choice had about Artie. Not only was the chair bound teen admitting his feelings of loneliness, he was revealing that he favored Mercedes for the part of Maria despite what happened with West Side Story. Kurt looked to Rachel expecting a look of outrage, but was pleased to find her smiling at Mercedes. Rachel really had changed. As soon as the applause died down, Sam nudged Kurt and whispered again.

"So do you have feelings for . . . someone?" Sam had let the cat out of the bag and refused to drop the issue.

"I just got used to not loving someone." Kurt said, deciding to chicken out. The look of sadness on Sam's face made Kurt freeze. "But I don't really know. Sort of I guess. I'm not going to press anything because I know it'll never happen."

Without waiting for a response, Kurt took the stage to sing Sam's song about Mercedes.

_Now I see that you're so happy_

_Ooh, and it just sets me free _

_And I'd like to see _

_us as good of friends_

_As we used to be._

The song wasn't quite to Kurt's style, but Sam had grown up to his mother singing Wilson Phillips while she'd helped him with household chores. Sam's dad hadn't been fond of the song You're In Love and always teased her about still loving her high school boyfriend. Sam had told Kurt how much he loved listening to his mom point out that his father had been her high school boyfriend before retelling the story of their glory days.

Before Kurt could rejoin Sam and Mercedes, Sam whispered a confession to Mercedes.

"Hey I saw you with Shane the other day when I went shopping with Kurt. I didn't really get that you were that close and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Friends?"

"Always Sam, but this song is really old. How did you think of it?"

"I've been listening to it a lot over the past months and it just seemed to fit this situation too."

Mercedes eyes sparkled with delight as she realized that Sam's only known about Shane for a week, not to mention that Sam admitted the song was fitting for another situation in Sam's life. Maybe her boy would finally get some quality love. She approved. She _definitely_ approved.

Five hours later, Sam and Kurt were sitting on the bed of Sam's pickup, looking at the stars. Sam was hoping the vastness of the universe would render his problems small enough to push things with Kurt. Luckily, his nerves calmed after the sun dipped below the horizon. Sam noticed that Kurt was shifting uncomfortably in the cold. Grateful for a chance to move closer, Sam repositioned himself and pulled Kurt to sit between his legs. Kurt's head rested against Sam's pounding heart and suddenly, Sam couldn't contain himself. Sam slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips against Kurt's cheek while pulling Kurt in closer at the same time, sliding an arm down Kurt's firm chest. Sam hesitated by Kurt's ear and let out a soft whisper.

"You're beautiful."

Kurt's face broke out into a deep blush and shifted awkwardly in Sam's arm. The sight of Kurt's discomfort and shame caused Sam's face to fall.

"Sorry." Sam said a little too harshly as he removed his arms from Kurt's torso. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Kurt leaned back into Sam's chest, pressing himself closer and tighter.

"Don't be sorry. I've just never been called beautiful by a straight guy before."

"You still haven't."

"Taking it back huh?" Kurt teased making Sam want to scream with frustration. How oblivious was Kurt going to be?

"Never. Kurt Hummel, you are the most breathtaking thing that I've ever seen. But it's more than just your looks. It's your personality and wit. It's your compassion and your laugh that makes me smile, even in the depths of my teenage angst. You're the kind of person that makes all words seem inadequate. Stunning, remarkable, heartbreaking, exquisite, magnificent. They all fall short of describing what you are to me Kurt."

Sam's words shocked both of them.

"You like me?"

"To put it mildly, yes."

"I. . . I'm confused. I thought. . ."

"I'm bisexual Kurt. I've wanted to tell you for the longest time but then I heard how you got mad at Blaine for thinking that he was and I just . . . . I couldn't bring myself to make you mad at me."

"My opinions have changed since then Sam. To be honest, I felt like Blaine was using bisexuality as an excuse not to date me or simply to play with me. That's why I got mad. "

"So you're not mad now?"

"Mad is definitely not one of the emotions that I'm feeling right now."

"What are you feeling right now?" Sam said eager and feeling like a skydiver sans the parachute.

"A lot of things I guess. It's still a snowstorm up here." Sam's mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusions until Kurt's lips pressed against his cheek. Sam was suddenly aware of every pinpoint of skin in contact with Kurt, and the touch was enough to send his mind spinning away from his nasty conclusions. Sam replaced his arms around Kurt's chest as they stared together out into the dawn.

"Let me know when the dust settles." Sam said and Kurt nodded in response.

"So which one is your favorite?" Kurt asked pointing up to the constellations.

"You first." Sam said and Kurt pointed at one of the brightest stars in the sky.

"I like that one, it's sparkling." Sam chuckled at Kurt's impersonation of his childish antics.

"That's Rigel. It's part of the Orion constellation."

"How do you know that?" Kurt asked disbelieving.

"I like space remember. Plus all of the names have cool stories behind them, like Greek myths and stuff." Sam said, wishing he could sound more eloquent.

"I love a good story. Tell me the story behind your favorite."

"So the Titan of the Dawn, Aurora, fell in love with a mortal. With him, she had the child known as Vesper." Sam paused his story to point to the orb in the western sky. "His name meant 'evening star' and his brother was named Lucifer after a similar celestial object, the 'morning star'. People always equate Lucifer to the devil and all evil things so the opposite of the morning star must be the opposite of evil. That story isn't interesting, but the history of my favorite thing in the sky is. You see it turns out that the morning star and the evening star are actually the same thing. I like to think about what that says about good and bad being matters of perspective."

Sam paused again in his explanation to make sure Kurt's eyes weren't glazed over in boredom.

"It seems really big for a star." At this, Sam had to chuckle. Nothing gets by Kurt.

"That's my second favorite thing about Vesper. Not only were the Greeks wrong about it being two separate stars, they were wrong about it being a star. Vesper is actually the planet Venus."

"Hmmm. . ." Kurt said, still lost in thought. "Wait, so what's your favorite thing about Vesper?"

"It reminds me of you. It's pale and bright and misunderstood. You know it's the only thing in space expect the sun and moon that's bright enough to cast a shadow. That's you Kurt. You shine so bright everyone still calls you a star, despite the attempts of others telling you that you're not. You're my **Undómiel.**"

Sam blushed as he revealed how nerdy he was about his love for Kurt.

"Isn't that elvish?" Kurt asked making Sam's heart swoon with the knowledge that Kurt recognized the language from Lord of the Rings.

"Uhm. Yeah."

"I thought you liked Avatar?"

"Oh, I do. But **Undómiel **sounds better than Txon tanhì."

"I agree."

Sam leaned down again to place another kiss on Kurt's cheek.

"I love you Undómiel."

"Sam?"

"Sorry I'll stop."

"No, I . . . uh. . ." Kurt stumbled over words as Sam placed another kiss on the crook of his neck.

"Sam, darling. Let me get my words out. Your kisses send my head shooting off into the stars you love so well." Sam blushed and grinned a little sheepishly. He really liked the way this was going. He had kissed Kurt three times already, albeit not on the lips, and had found a way to share his feelings with the piece of perfection in his arms. Sam used all the strength he had to refrain from touching Kurt until he spoke.

"Sam, I want to be with you too but . . . "Sam squeezed Kurt somehow tighter and kissed his cheek.

"Can we figure it out tomorrow? I just want to have tonight."

Kurt swooned at Sam's request. Kurt always felt like he was living in the future. Always trying to think three steps ahead. For once he was glad to rest his head on the chest of the boy he'd been longing for, both of them looking up at the stars just glad to finally be together even if it only lasted till morning.

AN: hope you like the additional chapter. reviews are always loved. I'm new to this and like feedback on what I'm doing wrong. Thanks for reading


	4. Hot and Cold

For Hevans Sake 4

Through the haze of a very . . . ehm. _interesting _dream, Sam heard Kurt let out an innocent moan. The next thing Sam heard was Kurt's very stern voice.

"Samuel Evans you wake up right now! I mean it! Wake up this very instant!" Still groggy and more than slightly upset his dream had been interrupted, Sam squeezed the warm and comfortable Kurt in his arms before letting out a scratchy mumble.

"You know you're really sexy when you're angry?"

"You're making that very clear Sam. Please get up." After the events of last night, mainly his confession of his feelings for Kurt, this was definitely not what Sam was expecting to wake up to.

"What have I done wrong already Kurt? It's not even 7 in the morning yet."

"You're umm. . . . having that problem that boys sometimes have in the morning Sam."

"Oh." Sam said, still processing. "Oh!" he shouted as he realized how his hips were tight against Kurt's and what effect that had on his hormones. Sam shot back so quickly he fell out of Kurt's bed and conked his head on the nightstand.

"Sam, are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry! I was dreaming and . . . .I swear I wasn't trying to . . . . I'm so so sorry Kurt!" Sam said, trying to stand up and apologize more. The sudden movement made Sam uncharacteristically dizzy which wasn't helped by the faint smell of iron that was making Sam's stomach churn. Kurt sat up in bed as Sam collapsed to the floor, in a manly way of course, and struggled to rise again.

"Sam you're bleeding!"

"Wha?" Sam started as he lifted a hand to his head. The stab of pain from the space above his right eyebrow removed all doubt about what Kurt was referring too.

"Crap I'm going to stain the carpet." Sam muttered as he put pressure on the wound to stop the blood. The sharp pain had taken care of his morning problem, but not quite in the way Sam would have preferred.

"Okay there klutzy, let's get you to the bathroom." Kurt said as he helped Sam up off the floor and to the first aid kit stashed in the bathroom. Sam didn't even try and resist. He knew Kurt better than to defy him in matters of personal safety. He was not going to be able to pass this off as a scratch and continue on as normal. Sam let Kurt disinfect the small wound, give him an aspirin, and even let Kurt put a pin in his hair to hold back his gold locks from the cut. Thinking this was all, Sam moved to stand up from the toilet seat and return to the bedroom to get ready for school. Kurt's hands shoved him back to the seat and made it perfectly clear that he wasn't finished. Kurt held up a finger and darted back to the bedroom to retrieve something. Kurt returned with one of Sam's clean shirts in his hand.

"Put this on without brushing the wound. I don't want my whole family to wonder what you were doing shirtless in my bedroom that caused you to almost lose an eye. I'm getting Carole, I mean Mom, to come inspect the wound to make sure it doesn't need stitches." Kurt said, his voice still stern.

"Can we not call it a wound? It sounds like I'm dying. Call it a scrape. It's just a little accident. I'm fine." Sam whined. He loved the concern but this was getting out of hand. He'd rather talk about the incident that caused his bumpy exit from bed, and maybe, might possibly find solutions to Kurt's reasons they shouldn't be together.

"Sam." Kurt said firmly. "I get to worry about any man that claims to love me."

"I'm not claiming anything Kurt. I love you. I've been dreaming you'd be available for months and months. I want to be with you." Sam was glad that they were finally talking about this again, even if Kurt's lack of faith in Sam's devotion was unbelievably frustrating.

Kurt could sense the direction Sam was trying to steer the conversation and almost agreed to go along with it, until he decided better of it. Such talks were not to be had while one of them was bleeding from a gaping head wound, sorry a 'scratch'. Kurt corrected himself sarcastically.

"If you want to be with me, you'll let Carole make sure you're alright." Kurt said before leaving without an answer.

Once Carole had given the all clear, Kurt applied the butterfly Band-Aids that his step-mother had suggested and finally let Sam stand from the toilet seat. Kurt could tell Sam was frustrated, but didn't press the issue until after Carole returned upstairs to the kitchen. Sam was making Kurt's bed in silence, pulling the sheets and blankets tight enough to bounce a quarter off the finished product. Despite Kurt's admiration of a strong bed-making technique, Sam's attitude was really making him angry. He was not about to let the muscled blonde ruin the day sulking silently.

"Hey!" Kurt said causing Sam to spin around and glare at him.

"What!" He spat out. Kurt flinched at the harshness of Sam's response. Sam's noticed Kurt's involuntary jerk and groaned in response. _Why were things turning out so horribly?_ Sam ran his left hand though his hair and exhaled out all of his anger. When he spoke again, Sam was calm.

"I'm sorry. Can we just start over?" Kurt didn't refuse so Sam wrapped an arm around him and plopped him down on the freshly made bed. Sam nuzzled Kurt's shoulder and mumbled warmly. "Good morning dashing young prince. I enjoyed gazing at the stars with you last night and I'm sorry that your sexiness makes me all frisky in the morning."

Kurt didn't know what to focus on first, the fact the Sam had called him sexy, that Sam's morning problem wasn't the result of a dream about Quinn or some other girl, or that Sam had called him a prince instead of the incorrect and insulting 'princess' that he was frequently called.

It turned out that Kurt didn't have to choose because a tantalizing kiss on his cheek soon sent his mind tumbling away from anything that could be considered focused.

_Something so G rated shouldn't have this big of an effect on me. _Kurt grumbled internally. Before Kurt could actually vocalize a thought, Sam continued.

"I seem to remember there being a but at the end of your line about wanting to be with me, and I'm not talking about the good kind of but that's covered in deliciously tight skinny jeans." Sam waggled his eyebrows flirtatiously before wincing at the consequences his scratch had on his thoughtless movement.

"I have a few yes." Kurt admitted, leaning his head back to keep it out of the reach of Sam's lips.

"Mind sharing?"

"Okay well, first off, you're kind of living with me. I don't think my Dad would be okay with my new boyfriend sharing my bed."

"I can move in with Rachel after school. She said their guest room was ready when I was." Sam said eagerly. He made _check_ motion with his finger and waited for Kurt's next concern. Kurt just fidgeted in place and pressed his lips tight together. Sam held Kurt's hand supportively and looked directly into Kurt's eyes.

"I don't want to go back in the closet to date you!" Kurt said quickly, slurring the words together slightly in his nervous haste.

"I'm already out to all the important people so that's not an issue. Besides, what's the point of being your boyfriend if I don't get to kiss you by your locker?" Sam was pleased to be finding solutions to Kurt's objections.

"Your parents?"

"Yeah about a year ago I told my whole family. I told Quinn before I left too."

"Wait, Quinn knew?"

"I heard how adamant she was that I wasn't gay in any possible way. I thought the revelation might distract her from her loneliness at Nationals."

"That's really nice of you." Sam blushed at Kurt's praise.

"Is that it?"

"Just one more Sam, but don't get mad okay?"

"I'm done being mad today Kurt."

"Well it's about something you mentioned last night."

"I love you Kurt. I'm not going to pretend otherwise." Why anyone thought Sam was stupid was beyond Kurt. He picked up on things fast and was more observant than anyone else Kurt knew.

"I'm not asking you to, but I just ended things with Blaine. I'm not ready to say that to someone." The guilt on Kurt's face made Sam laugh.

"Oh Kurt, you don't have to feel guilty. I've been feeling this way for a long time, but I didn't tell you I love you in the hope that you'd say it back. I don't want you to say something you don't know for sure. I know you don't love me right now and that's okay. All I want is a chance to love you."

Kurt didn't know what to say, which was happening at an alarming rate with Sam.

Sam took Kurt's silence as a bad sign and began to freak out.

"Oh my! I didn't mean love you like make love to you. I'm not trying to. . . Oh my. I'm an idiot." Sam said, sitting up and covering his face.

"Hey." Kurt said softly. He pulled the hands away from the perfect yet wounded face and kissed Sam's cheek.

"I want to be with you Sam. No buts anymore." Sam looked longingly into the eyes of the man that had belonged to Blaine for far too long. The realization of why he hadn't acted sooner made Sam voice his own concern.

"Uhmm. I have uhmm… crap never mind." Sam chickened out.

"No. Tell me Sam."

"I love you Kurt. You're so incredibly talented and strong and I want to be by your side all of the time, but you just broke up with your boyfriend of 8 months. I don't want to be your rebound."

"I don't want you to be a rebound either. How about we take things slow? We can even make some rules so we both feel comfortable with how fast things are going."

"Rules like what?"

"Like no pressing your shirtless abs against me."

"Like no losing my virginity if I'm just a rebound?"

"Yes, exactly." Kurt reached over to his violent and abusive nightstand and pulled out a pen and paper to record their rules and to hide his blushing face from Sam. Kurt wished he could say that he too had his virginity at stake, but Blaine had left with that. Sam's confession made Kurt realize how frightening his unstable feelings must be for Sam, which made Sam's next suggestion no surprise.

"No going a whole day without talking, even if it's just over text." Sam suggested.

"Good. No kissing Rachel Berry, no matter how drunk you get." Sam groaned jokingly.

"Fine. No whispering foreign languages in my ear."

"When have I done that?"

Sam mumbled something about last night's dream before adding a new rule to the list.

"I get to hold your hand whenever I want in public places, block you from any slushie attacks, buy you a Christmas present and pay for some of our dates."

"I get to inspect all injuries no matter how small, demand honest answers from you at any time except when concerning surprises and promises of secrecy, help you with any and all homework, and do any repairs I want to your car before you leave to Kentucky for Christmas." Kurt said with a glare that said _just try and argue with me, I dare you._

"Wait, you can fix cars?" Sam agreed inadvertently.

"Who do you think taught Finn while my Dad was busy running a business and running for Congress?"

"But your clothes?" Sam asked in surprise.

"I have clothes I can get dirty in Sam." Kurt's mild scolding mixed with Sam's teenage hormones made the blonde bite his lip in a haze of smutty thoughts.

"I'd like to see that."

Kurt hummed in response as his eyes got heavy with lust for the blonde god in his bed.

Before anything could happen though, Finn burst in the room to announce that the waffles were almost gone and Sam better hurry. Sam considered skipping breakfast to spend more time with Kurt, but he was still feeling a little lightheaded and waffles were just the cure. Kurt hoped into the (cold) shower while Sam ate and began perfecting his hair once the condensation on the mirror cleared. His thoughts about what to tell everyone at school were soon distracted by the return of Sam. The taller (by an inch and a half) teen pressed tightly against Kurt's back, resting his head on Kurt's shoulder and sliding his arms around Kurt's waist.

"Nap time." Sam declared as he closed his eyes.

"First, we're standing and probably going to be late for school so no nap time. Second, what does the rule say about the abs?" Kurt warned.

"You said shirtless abs. My shirt's still on . . . for now."

"That's a technicality."

"Yup. One I plan on abusing constantly."

Kurt pretended to annoyed, rolling his eyes and letting out a huff, before giving in. "Fine." _Sam better not get used to winning arguments because I am not fond of losing._

* * *

><p>An hour later Sam was standing outside his beat up old car. Sam had insisted on giving Kurt a ride and by the time Sam had managed to win the argument, Finn had come outside. Kurt couldn't wipe the smirk off his face the whole way to school as Finn sat bewildered between them. Finn gave Sam a suspicious look as slipped opened Kurt's door and grabbed his school bag. When Sam grabbed Kurt's hand, Finn stopped looking confused and gave Kurt a look that said, <em>when the hell did this happen?<em> Kurt chuckled at Finn's expression and gave him a smile as he headed off to meet Rachel in the choir room.

As Kurt and Sam walked into the school, heads were turning so fast Kurt knew the nurse would be handling whiplash injuries all morning. Kurt moved to separate from Sam and stop the incredulous looks, but Sam just held on tighter and leaned in to give Kurt a peck on the cheek. Kurt turned scarlet and Sam pretended not to notice. Once they arrived at Kurt's locker, Sam let Kurt's hand leave his to open the metal door. Kurt jumped several inches off the ground when Sam literally growled at Kurt's open locker.

"What?"

"There's something that needs fixing." Sam said, reaching out an arm and tearing something off the inside of Kurt's locker door before tossing it in the nearby garbage bin. Kurt blushed in embarrassment as he realized he had forgotten to remove Blaine's picture from his locker.

"Sorry."

"I'm not. It gives me the chance to do this." Sam said as he slipped a photo out of his back pocket. Kurt smiled as he recognized the picture Stevie had taken of them outside one of the many nights on the porch of that motel. He took the picture from Sam and secured it to his locker door.

"You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I might have been told that once by someone. . . ." Sam teased as he leaned into Kurt. The moment wasn't planned, it couldn't have been. No one could plan the shaft of sunlight that hit Sam's face at that exact second or the sparkle that suddenly appeared in Kurt's eye as he looked at Sam. Transfixed by each other, they leaned in at the same time and felt earthquakes as their lips touched for the first time. Sam had heard people describe life changing moments but he'd always thought they were making it up. Surely your life couldn't change in one moment. But as he pressed his lips tighter against Kurt, Sam knew that things would never be quite the same. In Kurt's presence, the world would always seem a little more vibrant, the colors deeper, the smells sweeter. Sam never wanted the moment to end, but life had other plans.

The mind-blowing sensation from Kurt's lips was suddenly overpowered by the freezing sensation on the back of his head and neck. Sam let out a small gasp of surprise and stepped away from Kurt as the purple slushie started dripping down his shirt. Kurt's face flashed from pleased to confused to angry as he realized why Sam pulled away. Kurt had murder in his eyes.

"I'm going to destroy whoever ruined our perfect moment." Kurt threatened through closed teeth.

"Hey. It's not ruined for me. In fact I'd like to recreate it right now." Sam soothed, leaning in for another kiss. This time the trembling effect the kiss had on Sam's knees was not interrupted by a slushie to the back of his head. Instead Rachel coughed loudly next to them until they split apart. Kurt shot daggers at the petite brunette.

"I'm all for your hot man-on-man lip exchange but Sam's covered in ice. We can't hope to win regionals if one of our members is sick with the cold."

Sam laughed at Rachel's odd show of support and spotted Mercedes heading for Kurt's locker.

"Thanks, Rachel. I'll go get cleaned up while you and Kurt talk. Mind telling Mercedes?" Sam asked before heading to the showers in the locker room.

"Chicken." Kurt teased as Sam walked away. Kurt straightened his shirt and shifted his gaze back to Rachel, giving her the _who do you think you are_ look.

* * *

><p>Sam quickly cleaned himself in the showers and slipped on his clothes for P.E. despite the fact he didn't have the class today. Gym shorts and a tank top may be chilly in the middle of December, but at least they weren't covered in purple slushie. Sam dropped his clothes in the washing machine in Coach Beiste's office, explaining that he'd spilled something on accident. Luckily he'd only have to wear his gym clothes for another hour.<p>

Sam stepped out of the locker room and looked up to see two slushies flying toward him. He jammed his eyes shut as the sugary ice hit him. He knew things would be bad at school, but this was ridiculous. It had to stop and complaining to the teachers obviously wasn't going to help. Sam wiped his eyes and walked in the opposite direction of his attackers, clenching his fingers in a tight fist. He opened the door to the nearby biology classroom and was pleased to find the teacher absent. He borrowed a pair of goggles and walked back out into the main hallway securing the clear plastic in place.

"EXCUSE ME!" Sam shouted. The whole hall fell silent as everyone turned to listen to Sam.

"I am in love with Kurt Hummel." He barely made it through his sentence before three fresh slushies hit him. The goggles stayed in place, but his clothes were now four different colors of stains. Sam didn't flinch or attempt to wipe off his face. He saw the mastermind behind the slushie attacks standing at the end of the hallway. The hockey team captain stood with his arms crossed, sneering at Sam. Sam stalked silently down the hall, slushies hitting him every few steps. The hockey team's slushie gauntlet was pathetic as far as Sam was concerned. The only people it would affect would be the students sliding around in the trail of fructose syrup on the ground. Sam brought his face right up next to the hockey captain's looking him in the eye.

"Have something to say to me?" Sam asked from his clenched jaw.

"Yeah. This is what you get for joining Team Gay." The jock sneered as he raised a slushie over Sam's head and poured it slowly onto the golden hair. There was enough tension in the inch between the two muscled teens to support the weight of a hundred elephants. Neither of them moved.

"Number one." Sam said slowly. "You can dump as many slushies on me as you want. My love for Kurt isn't going away. So save yourself some cash and get over it. And Number Two: I'm not on Team Gay. I'm Team Bi, as in me saying goodbye so you can go _**fuck yourself**_." Sam spat out and the other jock flinched at the sound of the profanity. "Trust me, no one else is pathetic enough to do the task." Sam finished. He shook his head like a dog, sending bits of ice shooting into the homophobe's face.

Sam stepped back and turned to see Kurt standing horrified a few feet away. Sam smiled sweetly, letting his dopey grin unfreeze his favorite person.

"Well hello there gorgeous. Mind if I walk you to class?" Sam didn't wait for an answer. He held out a sticky arm for Kurt and escorted him past the jock still frozen on the spot.

"So once I move into Rachel's tonight, are you free for our first real date? Or did Mercedes demand you spend the night explaining?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, but threats may have been made. I'll be sleeping over at her place tonight, so if you don't finish moving, you're welcome to use my bed." Kurt offered.

"Nah. That bed's much too big to sleep in it alone." Sam sighed in mock disappointment, well somewhat mock disappointment. "How about tomorrow night?"

"I can't wait."


	5. Gifts

Rory clenched the door of Sam's car, holding on for dear life. He may not know enough to drive on American roads, but he was pretty sure they shouldn't be passing all of the other cars so quickly. It was the day after Christmas and Sam had made them leave Kentucky at 7am. Sam had made some excuse about having to work that evening, but that didn't account for his eagerness to get back. Rory let out a strangled cry as Sam veered the car sharply to the left to pass another car. The cry caused Sam to glance down at the speedometer. 121mph. Sam cursed under his breath and applied some pressure on the breaks to return to a somewhat more reasonable speed.

_It was all Kurt's fault._ Sam thought. _If he'd just let me exchange gifts before I left . . ._

Sam's thought trailed off as he passed a parked state trooper. He glanced down at the dashboard again and let out a sigh of relief as he found he was only 5 over the speed limit. Sam glanced over at Rory and felt a pang of guilt hit him. Sam had been distracted all week and hadn't been the best Christmas Sponsor. The truth was being away from Kurt for a week was driving Sam up a wall. He hadn't been allowed to kiss those perfect lips more than a handful of times before the break. Not to mention the fact that Kurt had been forced to postpone their first date to tackle a wave of unpredicted Christmas gifts only Kurt could find. Sure, Sam had played pack mule for Kurt, but it wasn't a date.

Then Kurt had made things even more aggravating when he insisted that Sam not spend a single penny on him. Sam could have sworn that one of their "rules" allowed him to buy Kurt a Christmas present, but Sam had lost all of his argument winning power. Despite the frustrating price limit, Sam was confident that his gift would bring Kurt a little closer to falling in love with him. This was the first year that Sam was more excited to give a gift than to receive one. Hell, a kiss from Kurt was all Sam really wanted right now.

Sam was pulled from his thoughts by a passing sign that told him Kurt was only 30 minutes away. He shot an apologetic look to Rory and pressed the gas pedal to the floor boards.

* * *

><p>Kurt grumbled as his phone rang loudly next to his ear. He'd been woken up early yesterday by the thundering sound of Finn running down the stairs to the Christmas tree at 5 am. Kurt was planning on sleeping in today to make up for Finn's eager intrusion. Kurt answered the phone still half asleep.<p>

"Someone better be dying."

"Good morning to you too my stunning prince." Sam's voice immediately brought a smile to Kurt's face followed by a deep blush as Sam called him his prince.

"You woke me up." Kurt said, still feigning anger at his early morning.

"It's almost 10, and I figured you'd want to be awake when I knocked on your door."

"Wait what? You're here?"

"Almost. I just dropped Rory off at Brittany's. I'll be there in 10 maybe 15 minutes." Kurt let out a small shriek. Ten minutes was nowhere near enough time to get ready, especially for the first meeting in over a week with his . . . . with his Sam.

"You should have called me earlier." Kurt whined.

"And risk the wrath of waking you up too early like Finn did? No thank you."

"I'm not that cranky in the morning." Kurt pouted.

"The scab above my right eye says differently." Sam joked. Kurt didn't respond, still pouting.

"I love you Undómiel." Sam whispered softly. The words were so tender and filled with emotion that Kurt felt as if the words were Sam's strong embrace, holding him carefully. Kurt nuzzled his pillow, imagining it was Sam's chest, and let out a soft hum. Kurt heard Sam let out a soft sigh and they both fell silent for a moment, drowsily basking in the comfort provided by the other's presence.

"I missed you Sam." Kurt said finally.

"Me too." Sam replied.

"I should get ready." Kurt said trying to convince himself.

"I'll drop by Rachel's first and let her dads know I'm back safely. That way you can doze for a little bit longer." But they both knew that Kurt would be in the shower two seconds after the phone call ended. "Who knows, maybe we can doze off a bit together. I haven't slept well without my body pillow."

"I didn't know you had a body pillow." Kurt said, his drowsiness slowing down his thought process enough that he didn't catch Sam's meaning.

"Yup his name's Kurt. He's got this amazing hair and beautiful eyes. And when he's being sarcastic the right side of his mouth pulls up into the sexiest smirk on the planet."

Kurt hid his face in his pillow as Sam continued on. He wasn't used to this kind of flattery. It always felt like Blaine had deigned to be with Kurt instead of actually caring for him. It was amazing how good it felt to hear Sam's sincere words.

"Oh please." Kurt said dismissively which caused Sam's chest to roar in protest. For a diva, Kurt was far too modest and insecure. It made Sam see red.

"Please continue? Okay!" Sam said in blatant defiance of Kurt's bashfulness. "He's got this incredibly generous personality and he cares so deeply about the people in his life, even after they let him down. He's incredibly smart and informed about the latest fashions. He's got more heart than a roaring lion and this voice that makes angels cry with joy."

Kurt was pretty sure he was going to die from blushing so much. He could practically feel Sam's beaming smile and it made Kurt close his eyes to focus through the tide of emotion.

"I'm getting up now." Kurt narrated.

"Okay. Text me when I can leave Rachel's." Sam said, making it clear he would give Kurt as much time as he needed.

"Okay. See you soon."

"Very soon I hope." Sam said before ending the call. Kurt shot to the bathroom and had the fastest shower in his life.

* * *

><p>Kurt texted Sam the all clear and headed up to the kitchen to grab a small bite of breakfast. Finn was already there chowing down a gigantic bowl of cereal and reading the morning comics. Finn took a break from his feast and walked into the kitchen to talk to Kurt.<p>

"You look all gussied up. When does Sam get back?" Finn said knowingly. Kurt ignored Finn's odd way of complimenting his attire.

"He'll be over in a few minutes. Is Dad already at the shop?"

"Yeah he said he had a ton of work to finish. Mom's at the hospital covering for someone. Guess it's just you and me today."

"And Sam."

"Right. And Sam." Finn said smiling. Kurt rolled his eyes and lightly punched Finn's shoulder. Then Kurt realized that he hadn't really talked with Finn about his . . . whatever with Sam.

"I hope you don't think Sam 'caught the gay' or something." Kurt said hesitantly.

"Nah. I think Sam's been wanting you for a while. Why else would he wear a bedazzled jacket to school with a smile on his face?" Finn smiled at the memory of Sam making sure Finn was okay with Sam dating his brother. Finn had brought up the tan jeweled jacket Sam had worn during his family's troubles last year. Sam had just blushed deeply and mumbled something about loving the way it smelled like Kurt.

"Really?" Kurt asked, bringing Finn back to the moment.

"Yeah. He's a good guy Kurt. As long as he doesn't hurt you, I'm cool with it." Finn pulled Kurt into a bear hug, one that threatened to crush Kurt's lungs. "Oh and no hanky panky. Burt, I mean Dad, explained what goes on and I am _**so**_ not ready to overhear that."

"Oh my God Finn." Kurt cried, blushing fiercely. All this embarrassment was going to ruin his face.

Finn just chuckled and gave Kurt an appraising look.

"You look cool Kurt. Sam'll be happy to see you." Finn said before giving Kurt a noogie.

"My hair!" Kurt cried and darted down the stair to his bathroom as he heard the doorbell ring. "Let Sam in and talk to him." Kurt demanded

"Happy Boxing Day!" Finn said cheerfully as he opened the front door. Sam's face fell as he saw Finn behind the door instead of Kurt.

"Uh. Thanks. You too. Is Kurt here?" Sam said eagerly, craning his neck to see past Finn.

"Yup. He's getting ready still. Come in." Finn smiled as he glimpsed the carefully wrapped box behind Sam's back. He knew it wasn't for him, but any present made Finn excited.

"What did you get him?" Finn said as he pointed to the box.

"Uh. . .It's a secret." Sam said. Finn's eyes popped wide open with anticipation and he leaned in to hear the whispered secret. Finn's curiosity was thwarted by Kurt's ascension from the basement.

"It's uh. . . . wow." Maybe it was the fact that Sam hadn't seen him in a week, but Kurt looked unbelievably radiant. Sam just wanted to sit and watch the stunning view all day long. Finn turned around and saw Kurt standing awkwardly by the entrance to the living room.

"Well you two have fun. I'm going to go play my new Xbox game on full volume." Finn said, winking at Sam.

"Cool. Have fun man." Sam said as Finn left and Kurt slowly walked towards him. The second Sam heard Finn's door shut, his lips were on Kurt's. The kiss was urgent and full of longing. Their two bodies were pressed so tightly together that it seemed as if they were trying to press themselves into one body. As if no amount of closeness and contact would be enough to reflect Sam's need for them to be together.

A few minutes later, Kurt pulled away which made Sam move his lips down Kurt's jawline and then back up to Kurt's earlobes. Kurt mewled in pleasure before raising a hand up to push Sam away.

"I need to . . . . breathe." Kurt said, taking shallow breaths. Sam just hummed in response as he waited for both of them to catch their breath.

"I got you something." Sam said with a mischievous smile.

"I swear if it costs even a penny I won't talk to you until you return it." Kurt said with a tone so severe and scolding it almost made Sam shiver with fear.

"Not a penny was spent. I promise. I even walked to get it." Kurt smiled at Sam's strict adherence to his rules. To be fair, Kurt had followed them as well.

"Can I give you yours first?" Sam asked eagerly, trying not to reveal just how much the anticipation was killing him.

Kurt nodded. He was racking his brain to figure out what Sam might have given him without spending a penny. He was guessing something along the lines of a song.

Kurt peeled back the wrapping paper and slid the lid off the box. Inside he found a library book and a piece of mail addressed to him. Kurt gave Sam a confused look.

"I wrapped it in my car just barely. The letter came today. Don't be mad okay?" Sam pleaded as Kurt tore open the envelope.

_Kurt Hummel,_

_We are pleased to inform you that as a result of our sponsorship program, you are hereby accepted into the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts._

Kurt didn't even try to read the rest of the page as it fell from his hands in shock. He was sure that he wouldn't be accepted after his failed attempt at student council.

"Wait. Why is this your gift?" Kurt asked in utter confusion and shock.

"My cousin's fiancé goes to NYADA and I sent her some of those MP3's that you sent me last year. She said you were amazing and would sponsor your application. All she had to do was sign a form and have a short meeting with the admissions officer."

Kurt just looked at Sam, too surprised to form a coherent thought.

"Kurt you are amazingly talented. Getting into the school of your dreams shouldn't be about how popular you are. It should be based on talent. I just wanted to make sure the world gets to see how talented you really are Kurt."

Kurt still didn't know what to say, so he looked back down at the library book in the box. He flipped it open to the first bookmarked page and read the description for a college scholarship for gay teens. Kurt looked up to Sam for an explanation.

"NYADA's kind of pricey and I figured you could use some of these scholarships to help pay for everything." Sam said. His mind was racing. Kurt still hadn't said a word, which only made Sam panic. _Kurt's going to be furious. I invaded his privacy and did this all without his approval. He's going to hate me._ Sam thought, silently despairing over his bad decision.

"Sam."

"I'm so sorry Kurt. I'll call them and get the sponsor thing removed. I shouldn't have gone behind your back. I'm so sorry."

Sam's explanations were cut off by Kurt's lips. Kurt pushed the blonde teen down to the couch and straddled his hips. It wasn't that Kurt wasn't enthusiastic about kissing before, but it always felt like he was holding something back. Like he was afraid to really surrender to the moment. But now Kurt had white flags flapping in the wind as he completely lost himself to the sensation of closeness with the first person to actually support him in his goals and dreams.

Sam groaned with sheet exhilaration as Kurt slipped his tongue into his mouth. Sam had always paid close attention to what he was doing while making out with girls before, making sure he was doing it right. But with Kurt, Sam just sat back and enjoyed as his body took over. His tan hands roamed over the thin fabric on Kurt's torso and slowly nibbled on Kurt's lower lip which caused Kurt's eyes to flutter as he let out a heavy moan.

In defiance of the tightening feeling of his pants, Sam slowed things down and gave Kurt a few short pecks before pulling away completely. Finn was upstairs after all. Kurt pouted at his lack of access to Sam's lips and crossed his arms over his lean chest. The sight was so adorable it took all of Sam's willpower to keep his lower brain in check. Instead, Sam wrapped an arm around Kurt and pulled him down sideways on the couch and shifted him into his position as little spoon. Kurt let himself relax as he cuddled up to Sam's surprisingly soft and warm body. Feeling his libido and stubbornness flare, Kurt rocked his hips from side to side while pressing his skinny jeans tight against Sam. The friction was causing another "boys in the morning" problem although this time Kurt really didn't seem to mind. Quite the opposite actually.

Sam cleared his throat.

"Rules Kurt."

"Rules were made to be broken." Kurt said in a throaty whisper. He wasn't sure where this wave of hormones was coming from, but Kurt wanted things to get a lot more naked really quickly.

"Kurt." Sam said warningly.

"You can't say you don't want to." Kurt said as he wiggled his hips a little more. "You're like Pinocchio only it isn't your nose that's growing. Besides I want to thank you for the greatest gift ever."

At this point, Kurt was in danger of sending Sam over the edge. To combat the sensations pouring over him, Sam bit down hard on the inside of his cheek until the taste of blood focused his thoughts.

"Kurt. You are unbelievable attractive, but I'm not Blaine. When we have sex it's going to be at the right time for the right reasons. Not as a way of saying thank you." Sam expected Kurt to flinch at the sound of his ex's name, but instead Kurt turned scarlet.

"I'm sorry. I guess it's a good thing I don't look like you or we'd be going at it like rabbits."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well if I was more . . . you know. . . then you wouldn't be able to resist me."

"Every inch of you turns me on, Kurt. Over the break if someone mentioned your name, my pants immediately got too tight. As Puck would put it, I could save the rainforest with all of the wood I've found in my jeans lately." Kurt scoffed at the crude comment he vaguely remembered Puck making.

"And if you move your hips one more time I'm going to ruin these jeans." Sam warned and immediately the muscles around Kurt's pelvis tightened to deliver the friction that would send Sam over.

"Don't." Sam said softly as he placed a firm hand on Kurt's hip.

Kurt didn't say a thing but he did remain still. After a few minutes of silence, Kurt succumbed once again to the comfort of Sam's adoring eyes and began to relax. Kurt let out a yawn and wriggled in Sam's arms. Kurt pressed against Sam and felt the proof of Sam's attraction, letting a smile creep onto his face. Kurt tried to stifle another yawn as exhaustion suddenly crashed down on him.

"Hey don't fight it. This version of sleeping together I'm totally on board with." Sam said softly.

"But. . ."

"But nothing. Let's rest. I promise I'll still love you when we wake up. You'll always be my prince, my Undómiel, my beautiful porcelain skinned piece of perfection." Sam's words started to slur as the exhaustion from his long drive began to sink in.

Kurt hummed in response and closed his eyes. He concentrated on the sound of Sam's breaths until their even and steady paced proved Sam's state of sleep. Kurt brought his hand up to intertwine with the one pressed against his chest. He lifted the hand up and placed a soft kiss on Sam's tanned flesh. Before Kurt drifted off to reclaim his lost sleep, he whispered five words that no one else would hear.

"I love you too, Sam."


	6. Dinner

Sam woke up four hours later and nuzzled the warmth between his arms before placing a soft kiss on what should have been Kurt's cheek. Instead Sam ended up kissing a ginormous blanket. Sam immediately began to pout as he sat up and wiped his tired eyes.

"Kurt?" Sam looked over and saw his former snuggle buddy typing furiously on his computer. Sam got up and walked behind Kurt's chair so he could wrap his arms around him once again.

"You left me."

"Sorry Sam. I woke up like an hour ago. I had to tell everyone the news." Kurt explained, leaning his head against Sam's arm while continuing to type an IM to his father at work.

"Well I'd much rather be kissing you than a ratty old blanket." Sam whined.

"Well I wouldn't have had to give you that blanket if you didn't make that awful whining noise when you didn't have someone to cuddle anymore."

"I didn't make a whining noise." Sam said indignantly. Kurt didn't even try to argue. He just slid out his iPhone and played a video of Sam emitting a high pitched noise alone on the couch.

"Oh."

"What I don't get is how you managed to sleep all break."

"Stevie and I shared a bed." Sam hid his head behind the chair in embarrassment.

"Why am I not surprised? You know you're passing on your cuddle obsession to the next generation."

"No way. I'm teaching him how to be a man. Real men _**love**_ to cuddle." Sam said before placing a kiss on Kurt's cheek. Sam looked down at the corner of Kurt's computer screen and gasped at the time.

"Crap I only have a couple of hours before work. Can I take you to dinner first?" Kurt closed his computer and looked back at Sam.

"Actually its time for my gift."

"Nap time and kisses weren't my gift?" Sam asked with genuine surprise. Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled his classic "seriously?" pose.

"You vastly underestimate me Mr. Evans."

"Never. I just don't see how anything can top this." Sam said with a sparkle in his eye. Soon their lips were back to their rightful place meshed together. Kurt tossed his computer onto the couch without parting lips and slowly pulled the pair of them up their feet for a better kissing angle. Kurt wove the fingers of his left hand into Sam's perfect hair and let his right hand trail down Sam's back. As his hand found its place in Sam's back pocket, Kurt pressed his body closer to Sam, grinding their hips together.

As much as Sam enjoyed the delicious friction, he froze and pulled apart from Kurt. The slim teen took his turn to pout as his . . . as Sam pulled away.

"That can't be your gift Kurt."

"It's not you just distracted me. Besides, condoms cost money." While this comment was entirely true, Sam had a hard time believing that if condoms were to be pulled out, the last thing he would be thinking about would be the price tag.

Kurt smiled evilly as he noticed Sam start to blush. Satisfied with his light teasing, Kurt darted down to his bedroom to collect his things for the night. When he returned a minute later, Sam was still in the same spot, blushing. Kurt laughed and tossed Sam his jacket.

"Okay Sam, you've got to promise me that you'll trust me no matter what."

"Done." Sam said without hesitating. "Where am I driving to? Breadsticks?"

"What makes you think you're driving?" Kurt said defiantly.

"Cause walking doesn't sound like fun?" Sam said confused.

"Nope. I get to drive."

"No fair."

"It's completely fair. How can you drive if you don't know where we're going?"

"You could tell me." Sam said with his best puppy dog eyes.

"No. That would ruin the surprise."

"Fine." Sam said. "If I can't drive then I'm carrying you to the car."

Without waiting for Kurt's approval, Sam scooped him up and kissed him before carrying him out the front door. As soon as Sam set Kurt down, the brown haired wonder slugged Sam's arm.

"I am **NOT** a girl Sam." Sam leaned in and kissed Kurt's perfect lips again causing both of their knees to tremble slightly.

"I know." Sam said with a heavy voice as he gave in to his hormones and pressed Kurt against the car and leaving a hickey on Kurt's neck that would be sure to show in the morning. Kurt stifled a moan of pleasure before slipping away from Sam.

"Just checking. Let's go." Sam let out a fake sob as Kurt playfully denied their passions.

"I might need a cold shower first." Sam said as he hopped into Kurt's black beast of a car.

* * *

><p>Kurt had tied a bandana around Sam's eyes halfway to the restaurant and Sam was seconds away from tearing the cloth away. Part of his frustration lied in the lack of knowing where they were, but mostly Sam wanted to be able to see Kurt. Kurt always pulled funny faces while trying to drive and Sam found them incredibly adorable.<p>

"Are we there yet?" Sam whined as Kurt laughed at the blonde's childish attitude.

"Almost."

Sam groaned and crossed his arms over his chest. This was so unfair.

Ten minutes later, Sam felt the car stop moving. He turned to Kurt and asked if he could remove the blindfold now. Kurt's lips were suddenly against his and then just as suddenly they were gone along with the blindfold.

"Hey. Get back here. I wasn't done yet." Sam said leaning over into the driver's seat to kiss Kurt again. Kurt fumbled as he returned Sam's kiss, lost to the moment until his elbow collided with the car horn. The loud blare made Sam break apart from Kurt so fast his golden head smacked against the rear view mirror. Kurt looked wildly out the windshield to make sure no one was watching them and noticed that the rear view mirror had come apart from the windshield leaving some glue behind. Kurt looked back at Sam and couldn't help but laugh. Sam was holding the rearview mirror and pulling his best wounded puppy face.

"Why does your sexiness always end up injuring me?" Sam said as he tried to reattach the rearview mirror. When simply pressing it to the glass didn't work, Sam licked the back of the mirror and tried again. Kurt's eyes started to water as he laughed at Sam. The strong young man gave up on the mirror, setting it on the dash, and gingerly touched his head for a goose egg.

"It's not funny. I could have a concussion." Sam said, pulling his best 'fake offended' face.

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Kurt's sarcasm proved that Sam's act wasn't working. "I guess I'll just have to make sure you don't sleep at all tonight." Kurt bobbed his eyebrows and pulled his lips into a tight smirk.

"Very funny. If things get any sexier I'll end up losing a limb. Nope. I'm making you watch Avatar and maybe even read some fan fiction."

"Fan fiction?"

"Yup. It's freakin' awesome. You'll love it I promise. Now let's get some food into you." Sam said as he leaned over and opened Kurt's door from the inside. They both raced to the front door to be the first to open it only to be bested by the hostess.

"Is it just the two of you tonight?" The pretty blonde asked giving Sam a flirtatious smile.

"Yeah. Just me and my boyfriend." Sam said as he placed a swift kiss on Kurt's blushing cheek. The hostess smiled through her surprise and silently led the boys to their table. _All the good ones really are gay or taken _she thought as she handed them their menus.

"So . . . ?" Kurt said as he completely ignored the menu.

"Yeah?" Sam wasn't quite sure what Kurt could be so-ing him about. "Are you going to let me pay?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head. "My dad's paying. He gave me a gift card."

Sam scrunched up his face in disappointment before getting back to Kurt's "so."

"Okay, then what's up?"

"You . . . "

"I . . . .?"

"You called me your boyfriend."

"Should I not be calling you that?" Sam couldn't hide the hurt and disappointment from his face.

"I thought you didn't want to be my rebound?"

"Is that what I am to you?" Sam really didn't want to hear Kurt's answer. This night was going horribly wrong. Sam got up from the table, not caring if he has to walk home.

"Sam!" Kurt got up from the table to chase down the blonde in the black leather jacket. Two steps out the door, Kurt caught up to him. "Sam, come back inside."

"Why Kurt? So I can be your rebound? Damn it, you swore that this wouldn't happen." Sam just wanted to punch something, like a wall or a really big punching bag, until he couldn't feel his arms anymore.

"Sam stop. Don't do this!"

"Why Kurt?"

"Because I love you, you big idiot. I love you and want to go inside and have a romantic dinner with my boyfriend."

"What?" Sam was frozen, his back still to Kurt.

Kurt walked up to Sam and wrapped his arms around Sam's frozen torso and pressed his face against Sam's pecs. "I love you."

"Really?" Sam wanted to believe him, but he couldn't quite accept it.

"Sam. I love you."

"I'm not a rebound?"

"I've been dreaming about you since the day I caught you naked in the showers Sam. You're sweet and talented and more than a guy could hope for. I love my boyfriend. He's . . ."

Kurt's words were cut off by Sam's mouth against his. Every kiss before now had been mindblowing, but Sam was holding back, always keeping his emotions in check, his heart safe. Now Sam had nothing to hold back. Kurt owned his heart without reservation. The only thing between them in that moment was a few layers of cloth and air. Sam opened his mouth and let out a moan as Kurt bit his lower lip softly. To regain the upper hand, Sam knocked a leg out from under Kurt while simultaneously wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist to hold the falling angel. As Kurt tipped backward, Sam followed him back and pulled him into a perfect dip without removing his lips from Kurt's.

Kurt let out a satisfied sigh as Sam lifted him back up to his feet. Sam let out a lion's roar and shot a menancing look at the darkness around them.

"Stay back! He's MINE!" Sam said with a growl. Kurt chuckled and tugged Sam back inside to their table.

* * *

><p>Kurt smiled at his boyfriend across the table as Sam wrapped his hand around Kurt's.<p>

"So can I give you my gift now?"

"The 'I love you' wasn't your gift?"

"No this is." Kurt said as he slid an envelope across the table. Sam opened the envelope to find a check from his job at the pizza place. On the line for notes, Sam's boss had scribbled, _last week's pay – good luck Sam._

"Your present is that I got fired?" Sam was really confused.

"Not fired, replaced. Rory's taking your job except he'll make the pizzas instead of delivering."

"And I couldn't do that because . . . ?"

"Because you have a different job now. But before I get to that, I have a story to tell you." Kurt said with a smile as he dragged Sam down memory lane.

_It was the start of summer and Stevie's birthday. I had offered you the use of my kitchen to bake your brother a chocolate cake. Your family didn't have money for presents, but you had saved some money aside to bake a cake and a birthday dinner for Stevie. You walked into the Hummel household with a bag of groceries in one hand and the Birthday Boy over his other shoulder. Finn and Rachel followed with Stacy. Finn scooped up Stevie and went up to his room to play video games with Stevie while Rachel gave Stacy a makeover. I sat down at the counter and pretended to surf the web while I watched you work. You'd never cooked in my kitchen before, but you just belonged there. You didn't ask where my pans were or how to work the stove. I've cooked in that kitchen a lot, but I've never been able to juggle as many things as you were that day. You had all four burners on the stove going at different temperatures while the oven was preheating and the microwave was humming. You managed all of this while singing Dreamgirls under your breath. No one has ever been more attractive than you were that day with flour on your face and spaghetti sauce all over your apron. I was convinced that either you were inhuman or that your food was going to turn out to be disgusting. It just didn't make sense that you could do everything perfectly at once. Then Finn and Rachel returned with your siblings and we all sat down to eat your feast. I braced myself for the awful taste of the first bite. I was shocked to find it wasn't just "okay" or "not bad". Your cooking was phenomenal. I couldn't stop myself from eating the entire mountain of food you'd spooned onto my plate. My mind was screaming at my mouth to stop; I'd seen how many sticks of butter you'd put into your southern cooking; but my taste buds refused to care. _

"Before you left that June, I gained 13 pounds from your cooking. I had to buy new clothes." Kurt said, finishing his story.

"Maybe I should start cooking for you again." Sam said in support of the many that told Kurt he was rather thin. Kurt just rolled his eyes.

"You have a gift in the kitchen Sam. Your food is amazing and people everywhere should be able to try it."

"That's really nice Kurt but it doesn't explain why I got fired."

"You quit so that you could be the assistant sous chef here."

"What?"

"It's actually a really amazing job. You won't just be peeling potatoes or making the salads, well you'll be doing that some of the time, but you'll get to learn how to work in a kitchen and help prepare the main courses during the dinner rush. Plus it makes almost double what you were making delivering pizzas."

Sam grabbed the menu off the table and scanned it to find out what he'd get the chance to cook. After he spotted all of his favorites, he looked deep into Kurt's eyes.

"Undómiel, my prince, you are the best boyfriend ever. I love you Kurt."

"I love you too Sam."

**AN: Not sure if I should end it here. I'd hate to stop writing about them, but this just feels like a good stopping point. Thoughts?**


	7. Snowfall

For Hevans Sake – 7

Sam looked up from the mixing bowl in his hands as the door to Rachel's house opened. Sam's face lit up when he watched Kurt saunter in through Rachel's living room.

"Hey!" Sam said cheerfully as Kurt looked a little shocked at the sight of his boyfriend.

"Hi Sam."

Sam placed a light kiss on Kurt's perfect lips, leaning over the mixing bowl. Kurt tried to hide the embarrassment and looked down at the large red bowl and tried to discern its contents.

"You know you're supposed to use a hand mixer for cake batter." Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"A hand mixer?" Kurt tried to mime out the actions of a hand mixer sarcastically. "You know you might want to learn some of the tools in a kitchen since you work in one now."

"Ha!" Sam said as he set the mixing bowl on the counter. Kurt squealed as Sam lifted him into the air.

"Put me down!"

Sam complied, placing Kurt down on the counter next to his mixing bowl, and began to tickle Kurt's writhing body.

"Stop!" Kurt said through a peel of hevan-ly laughter.

"Not until you admit that no crappy hand mixer could ever compare to my arms."

"Okay okay! You're stronger than any machine ever." Sam stopped tickling Kurt, but left his hands pressed firmly on Kurt's hips.

"Promise?"

"Yes. I love your strong arms." Kurt said as he stroked Sam's right forearm. For once, Kurt was the one to lean down as he shared a deep kiss with his boyfriend. After a few intense minutes Sam pulled away from the kiss. Kurt let out an uncharacteristically deep groan.

"You keep pulling away before I'm finished." Kurt complained.

"No, I'm pulling away before you can get started." Sam said as he picked up his mixing bowl and resumed the circular motions with his wrist.

"Great. Another boyfriend who thinks I have the sex appeal of a baby penguin." Kurt mumbled under his breath. Sam froze as Kurt's muffled words reached his ears. Sam was angry. How many times did he have to tell Kurt how attractive he was and how much he loved him before the pale teen finally accepted the fact that he had Sam wrapped around his little finger.

Sam slammed the mixing bowl down on the counter, causing it to splash up a little and splatter on Kurt's designer sweater. Kurt let out a gasp of annoyance before he felt Sam's hands tugging the sweater up over his head along with his shirt. The minute the cotton was over Kurt's ears, Sam's was attacking Kurt's neck and shoulders. Kurt's eyes rolled back at the unexpected pleasure coming from Sam's lips. Sam's lips trailed downward and Kurt let out a rattling moan as Sam's tongue flicked his nipple.

The next thing Kurt knew, Sam was lifting him up again, spinning Kurt around before laying him down on the long dining room table. Sam kneeled over Kurt, looking him up and down with a lust filled gaze. In that instant, the lack of physically contact was too much to bear, so Sam pressed his fully clothed body against Kurt's exposed chest and mashed his open mouth against Kurt's. Their tongues didn't fight for dominance. Instead they seemed to be marking their territory, claiming each pinprick of flesh as property of the other.

Kurt was distracted from the kissing as he felt Sam's hips grind a firm bulge against the one in Kurt's pants. Sam whimpered as Kurt slid his hands into Sam's back pockets and pulled their hips closer together.

"KURT!" they both heard someone shout in the background.

They slowly peeled themselves apart and saw Rachel standing at the doorway.

"You don't have to yell." Kurt said.

"Well you weren't listening before and I really didn't want to keep watching . . . whatever that was."

"What? You've never walked in on your dads doing it?"

Sam laughed at the mental image of a young Rachel walking in on two old guys going at it.

"Gross. Now can we please work on our regionals duet?" Rachel said with her bossiest voice.

"I'll be up in a minute." Kurt said. Rachel rolled her eyes and stomped up the stairs, clearly planning to return in exactly 60 seconds to retrieve Kurt.

Sam slipped off the dining room table and held a hand out to assist Kurt.

"Still refuse to believe me when I talk about how easily you get me worked up?" Sam asked as Kurt took his hand and got off the table.

"Oh I never stopped believing you. I just like what happens when you try and prove it to me." Kurt said with a wicked grin as he grabbed his discarded clothes and satchel before racing up to Rachel's room.

Sam watched as Kurt fled. He couldn't believe it. Kurt had played him like a piano. Sam felt his pants twitch before he let out a frustrated groan as he resumed baking a cake for dinner at the Berry household wishing he had time for a cold shower.

* * *

><p>As Sam slid the cake into the oven, his phone buzzed as Finn replied.<p>

_Hoops in Rachel's driveway sounds awesome. Maybe we can build a snowman after._

By the time Finn had made it over to Rachel's and the two of them had bundled up, the cake was ready to be pulled out of the oven to cool. After a few rounds of "horse" Finn and Sam couldn't resist the mounds of snow any longer. The basketball was abandoned in the driveway as the two boys began to play in the snow covering Rachel's huge front lawn.

Once Sam finished making a snowman version of Kurt, Puck finally arrived and the snowball fight began. They each got ten minutes to construct a fort before all rules were thrown to the wind. Sam immediately darted to the street where a snow plow had left a huge wall of hardened snow next to the front lawn. He packed the snow down to make sure it could withstand the attacks of his friends and then went to work creating a pile of ammo.

Finn decided to use his knowledge of the Berry's garage to his advantage. He slipped inside and retrieved several plastic sleds and some rope. The disc sled was quickly turned into a shield while the other sleds were lashed together into a makeshift wall on the other side of the driveway.

Puck waited for the other two guys to pick their spots before settling on his own. Luckily the Berry's front steps would provide shelter from most of the snowballs and Puck was confident that neither of his friends would want to risk breaking a window by a poorly aimed throw. Besides, Puck didn't want to be tied down to a fort. This was supposed to be a free for all.

Sam started off the fight, launching an oversized orb directly into the front steps. Sam knew he didn't have a hope of hitting Puck, but the snowball hit the stairs just right and sent little bits of snow splattering into Puck's face.

"Oh it is so on!" Puck yelled as he abandoned his hiding place and charged at Finn's shady fort. Sam peeked over the wall of his fort and laughed as Finn's wall fell apart and Puck rubbed a snowball into Finn's messy hair. Sam crouched back down and continued to laugh at Finn's poor construction skills. Seconds later Sam shot up as snow suddenly was hitting him from every direction.

"What the . . . ?" Sam cried as he did a funny dance to get the snow out from the back of his shirt.

He looked around and realized that Puck and Finn had knocked over the top part of his wall and pushed the snow on top him.

Without the forts, the snowball fight quickly became a matter of who could aim the best or run away the fastest.

A snowball nailed Sam in the butt and Sam spun around to face his attacker. He was surprised to see Kurt smiling with mischief at the top of Rachel's front staircase.

"Hey! You wanna join us?" Sam invited.

"No way am I letting Puck give me another black eye." Kurt said with a glare at the mohawked teen.

"I'm not the one who tried to headbutt a snowball." Puck said as he sneered at Kurt's lithe figure. Kurt stuck his tongue out at Puck in response.

"If you want to play some basketball, I'd love to join you guys." Sam's mind immediately flashed to images of Kurt swaying his hips as he dribbled the ball while Sam guarded him closely.

"Let's do it!" Sam said enthusiastically as he tossed the snowball in his hand over his shoulder. Finn sputtered as the snowball smashed into his forehead. Sam grinned and picked up the abandoned basketball.

"Me and Puck against the two brothers?" Sam asked.

"That wouldn't be fair." Finn said.

"Oh I promise I'll go easy on you." Sam said with a gracious smile while Finn just shook his head.

Finn started off with the ball, driving to the hoop before he met the wall also known as Puck. He quickly pivoted and tossed the ball out to Kurt standing far away from the hoop as Sam lazily guarded him. Sam decided that Kurt should get a chance to score so he wouldn't get bored and leave the game, so Sam took a step back and smiled politely at his boyfriend.

"Go ahead. I'll give you this one." Sam said as he held out an arm to indicate that Kurt could pass him and go to the hoop unguarded.

"Ha!" Kurt said as he stopped dribbling the ball and pulled it up into both hands using perfect form as he shot the ball straight into the net. Sam's jaw dropped like a ton of bricks.

Finn chuckled. "I told you it wouldn't be fair."

"But . . . ?" Sam said, still trying to figure out how this could happen.

"I played on the city team for years until I realized how much I hated getting sweaty in public." Kurt said offhandedly as he pretended to blow smoke off his fingertips.

Sam scowled at his boyfriend before charging. He tackled Kurt onto the powdery snow and immediately began to kiss him. Puck rolled his eyes and turned the game into 1-on-1 so the couple could continue making out.

"I'm cold." Kurt said a few seconds later, breaking apart from Sam's lips. Sam wrapped his arms around Kurt's torso and rolled them both over so that Sam was the one laying in the snow.

They continued playing their own game of tonsil hockey until Sam's roaming hands were stopped by the sound of Rachel demanding that everyone come inside for hot cocoa and snacks.

Sam reverted to a child as Rachel poured mini marshmallows into his mug of hot cocoa. Sam quickly scooped up his mug and one for Kurt and raced to the living room to sit next to his boyfriend. Kurt chuckled and began to stir his cocoa to cool it down. He lifted a spoonful of the heavenly liquid and blew on it before relishing in the amazing taste of Rachel's homemade cocoa. Kurt's boyfriend was not nearly as patient.

"Ow. I bawn ma tawng" Sam said with his best pouting face. Kurt chuckled as he lifted his mug up to his lips, abandoning his spoon on the coffee table.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Want me to kiss it better?" Sam looked up at Kurt, pretending to be bashful. Then he noticed the line of hot cocoa foam on Kurt's upper lip. It was too much for his hormones to resist. A moment later Sam's burnt tongue was wiping the foamy cocoa off Kurt's lip before sharing the taste with Kurt as the couple exchanged a deep kiss.

"Enough!" Rachel cried with exasperation. "That's the third time today I've walked in on you two. That's it. Opposite ends of the couch. Now!"

Sam blushed furiously while Kurt gave Rachel a haughty glare. Finn walked in and laughed at Sam's redden cheeks before pulling Rachel down on to the couch between them. Puck followed a minute later with a tray of snacks. He'd insisted on being the one to collect them, mumbling something about Rachel's crappy vegan snacks not being worthy to use as charcoal briquettes.

The five friends started scanning through the channels to find something to watch before settling on a Netflix movie.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's!" Rachel shouted excitedly and Kurt clapped his hands together in agreement which made Sam roll his eyes.

"Never going to happen." Puck said in blatant defiance to the fact that they were sitting in Rachel's house.

"How about Tron or Star Trek?" Sam suggested.

"I wouldn't mind Star Trek." Kurt said tentatively. Rachel's jaw dropped in shock.

"Seriously?"

"What? Spock and Captain Kirk are hot and so undeniably trying to get in each other's pants." Rachel nodded in agreement at the attractive homo-erotic pairing.

"No way!" Puck challenged. "You think everyone's gay. You said that X-Men First Class was a love story about Prof. X and Magneto."

"Everyone thinks they're gay." Finn said as his way of casting his vote in favor of Star Trek, though now he really wanted to watch X Men.

"Fine. Those two can be gay but not Spock and Kirk. It's just too weird." Puck said as he leaned back into the reclining chair and started the movie.

An hour later Rachel was distracted from the action sequence on the screen by Kurt's giggle. She raised her eyebrow questioningly at her friend whose arm was resting on the couch behind her. The blush on Kurt's face betrayed him and Rachel's eyes quickly darted over her other shoulder. There she found Sam tracing Kurt's fingers in an attempt to tickle him as much as possible.

"Don't look at me. It's not my fault Kurt's so ticklish and doesn't know sign language." Sam said in his defense.

"Huh?" Puck said as he peeled his eyes from the screen.

"Sam and Kurt can't keep their hands off each other." Rachel said with her tattletale tone of voice.

"Why should they." Finn said as he leaned in to kiss his girlfriend.

"Okay this movie time not make-out time." Puck said as feelings of loneliness started to sink in.

Sam decided to give the Mohawk man a break and removed his arm from the back of the couch.

Everyone focused on the movie for another few minutes before Sam's phone went off and he darted out of the room to answer it. He returned a few minutes later with his jacket on and keys in his hand.

"Who called?" Kurt said impatiently.

"Work. They need me there tonight."

"Isn't it supposed to be your night off?"

"Yeah, but they warned me this would happen. School, sickness, and sleep are the only excuses that get me out of coming in to work."

"That sucks." Puck said as he secretly thought about how glad he was to be working for himself.

Kurt didn't respond to Sam's comment. He just stood up and grabbed his bag.

"Come on, I'll drive."

"I'm going to be there until 1 in the morning Kurt. I don't want you to have to sit around waiting for me."

"I have some work to do on my computer. I'll just sit at the corner of the bar and get some work done. Besides it's supposed to snow really badly tonight and I don't want your awful car out on those roads."

The real truth was that Kurt didn't want to have to cut his time with Sam short. The blonde had been working a lot over the past three weeks and Kurt was worried the trend would continue once school started in a few days. If Kurt had to sit around at a bar doing his work instead of at home it didn't really matter as long as he got to spend some time with Sam on his breaks.

Sam shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out a way to win the argument. Kurt glared at the keys in Sam's hand and Sam knew that the battle was over. He shoved the metal ring of keys into his pocket and followed Kurt out the front door.

AN: Sorry it took so long for the update. I'll keep writing stuff about them throughout their senior year and maybe beyond. Two chapters until a Blaine reappearance.


	8. Missed Calls and Planes

**Sorry I haven't updated in months. Every time I tried to continue the story it sounded stale and forced. So I shook things up a bit. They'll be a lot of flashbacks now because there are lots of stories from High School that I want to tell. I've written most of the next chapter but if no one likes the change I'll scrap it, take this one down, and do a short epilogue for the old story line instead. **

15 Years Later

Sam turned the key in the second deadbolt to the apartment and almost tripped on the stack of mail. It was almost 4 in the morning and the mail told Sam he'd be spending another night alone. He dropped his messenger bag on the kitchen counter and unbuttoned his messy chef's jacket to toss in the wash. After sorting the mail and watering the plants, Sam stood at the threshold to his bedroom. His eyes darted from one photo to the next, reliving the memories frozen in the frames as the tears started to escape from his eyes.

Sam was too exhausted from a long day at work to handle the empty bed so he snatched a blanket out of the closet and headed to the couch. Sam sat for a moment and sifted through the emotions flashing through his mind. Things shouldn't have been this hard. Sam still loved Kurt with all of the intensity from their teenage years, but time had proven that love wasn't a magic cure for life's problems. Sam scolded himself for being dramatic. It's not like they'd been unfaithful to each other or been diagnosed with terminal illness or developed intense amnesia. But still, it's hard to keep a marriage together when you don't see each other for days.

Too deep in thought to sleep, Sam headed to the kitchen to cook some breakfast for Kurt if he made it home. The truth was that he was happy that their dreams had come true. Kurt was finishing a 2 year run on Broadway, having composed and the musical himself, starred in a supporting role, and designed the majority of the sets and costumes. Kurt also had nice corner boutique where he sold the clothes Mercedes and him had designed in between their Broadway runs. Needless to say, Kurt had been busy lately.

But it's not like Sam had been waiting at home every night either. Sam remembered the day he'd opened up his restaurant in New York City. The loan for the building was insanely expensive and they hadn't turned a profit for the first 6 months. Sam smiled as he remembered how supportive Kurt had been when times were tough. They'd lived exclusively on leftovers from the restaurant and lived in the world's smallest and cheapest apartment. Sam realized that the opening of his restaurant had really been the start of his troubles with Kurt. Sam had picked up a second job during the day to keep them off the streets and Kurt had poured all of his time into the boutique to keep Sam's dream alive.

When the restaurant became incredibly popular, Kurt had focused on finishing his musical masterpiece. Now that business was booming and Kurt's play had become the latest _Wicked!_ The couple was exhausted. Kurt often fell asleep on the couch in his dressing room slash office and Sam had dozed off more than once while trying to figure out the restaurant's finances after it had finally closed at two in the morning.

Just thinking about the past few years drained Sam of his remaining energy. It was hard for Sam to keep things in the past; to stop remembering things he'd left behind. He arranged the eggs, waffles, and strawberries on two plates and covered them with cling wrap before setting them in the fridge. As an afterthought, Sam grabbed something from the mail and wrote "Kurt- I love you." And set the mail on top of Kurt's plate before collapsing on the couch.

* * *

><p>Sam woke to a strawberry flavored kiss. The second Kurt's lips left his, Sam burst out into a grin.<p>

"You ate the strawberries off my plate, didn't you?" Sam peeled his eyes open to see his husband trying his best to pull a puppy dog face.

"Maybe. . . " Sam smiled even wider and wrapped his arms around Kurt and pulled him down on top of him on the couch.

"I'm just glad to see you. It's been two days."

"Well I came home after early morning meetings to try and get some snuggle time with my husband but apparently he prefers the couch."

"You know I can't sleep in that bed without you. It's just . . . too empty." Sam pouted and showed Kurt what a real wounded puppy face looks like.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Did you enjoy breakfast?"

"I always enjoy your cooking Samuel." Kurt said as he placed a strawberry flavored sticky kiss on Sam's forehead. "Speaking of which, I really think we should go. It's the perfect time."

"To breakfast? I thought you already ate?"

"No to the reunion."

"I'm sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about." Sam said. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"You set the invitation on top of my breakfast."

"What? I just grabbed some mail off the counter so I could write you a love note."

"Love note?" Kurt asked as he picked the envelope off the coffee table. On the back there was a scribbled mess that didn't come close to looking like a note written in any language other than baby scribbles.

Sam laughed as he saw the envelope. "Apparently I shouldn't write love notes at wee hours of the morning."

"Well it's the thought that counts" Kurt said sweetly as he handed Sam the invitation.

Evidently their 15 year High School Reunion was a couple of weeks away. Kurt was right; it was the perfect time to get away. The musical was ending soon and Sam had finally trained a sous chef that didn't have hair for brains. Sam grabbed the latest Apple product out of his pocket and made flight and hotel arrangements while Kurt nibbled at the rest of Sam's breakfast. Sam noticed the time and darted out the door to buy ingredients for the restaurant before the market sold out. Kurt tried not to feel hurt when Sam left without a goodbye kiss.

* * *

><p>Kurt sat in the corner of his boutique with Mercedes and began talking about his marital problems.<p>

"It's hard to explain."

"I don't get it. You guys seem to be crazy in love. Has that changed?"

"No. Well, I don't know. I still love him."

"Then what's the problem?" Kurt sighed. The last two weeks had been remarkably free of stress for Kurt and Sam. All that time together made it painfully obvious that they'd lost something along the way. They'd both been so focused helping each other achieve their dreams and now without it, they'd fallen into a weird limbo.

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Kurt. They'd never been good at understanding the way the other worked in relationships. She wasn't co-dependent but she always felt uneasy if she spent too much time without her husband. It seemed Kurt was the opposite.

"Do you still want to be with him? Because sometimes the spark just burns out. Maybe you're spark's run out of fuel. That's what happened with Shane all those years ago."

Panic suddenly claimed Kurt's face. _Had the spark died? Did Sam not want him anymore? Did Kurt no longer need Sam at his side? It certainly would seem that way given all of the time they spent apart. _

"I don't know. . ." Kurt exhaled barely loud enough for Mercedes to hear. She gave Kurt a sympathetic look before tearing the colored pencil from his grip.

"Go figure it out." Kurt nodded as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door. He panicked when he saw the time.

"Shit. I missed the flight!"

"What flight? . . . . Oh the reunion!" Mercedes said to Kurt's deaf ears. He was too busy scrambling for his phone.

8 Missed Calls

2 New Text Messages

Kurt cursed his stupid decision to turn his phone to silent and opened the messages.

Sam – Hey, You're not answering your phone so I guess something came up at the shop. I switched you flight to the red eye tonight. I know you hate them but it's the only one they had left. If you want I can cancel it and I'll hit the reunion alone. Hope everything's okay. Let me know if I can help.

Kurt's deepened as he read the message. Sam didn't want him there. He slammed his eyes shut to push the frustration aside and opened them again to read the next message.

Sam – Have to turn off phone now. Let me know if I'm picking you up at the airport.

Kurt looks up to see Mercedes reading the messages over his shoulder.

"See! His husband blows him off completely and Sam just cares about the logistics of it all."

Mercedes gives Kurt a look that shouts "why the hell are you complaining that he's being so nice" but Kurt doesn't even notice.

"I could have run off with some hot French model and all Sam would ask about is frequent flyer miles!"

Little did Kurt know, Sam was thinking the same thing – well not the frequent flyer miles part.

* * *

><p>Sam was sitting in the first class cabin trying to ignore the empty seat next to him. He pulled his tattered picture of Kurt out of his wallet and stared deep into his eyes as if the faded paper held all the answers for their relationship. He was so focused he didn't notice the stewardess sitting down in the empty seat next to him.<p>

"Is that your husband?" She asked politely but Sam jumped in surprise.

"I hope so. . ." Sam muttered wistfully.

"Oh are you going to propose to him? How are you going to do it? Why are you already wearing a ring though?"

Even if the flight attendant hadn't made the novice mistake of sitting down next to a passenger, the chipper attitude was a dead give away. For a moment Sam considered telling her off but decided against it. At least Kurt's seat wasn't a mocking metaphor for the emptiness that had taken over their marriage.

"We've been married for years. He was supposed to be next to me right now. I'm not really sure where he is or who he's run off with." A mental picture of a lanky young actor with a voice that could turn the pope gay flashed in Sam's mind.

The flight attendant started to reply but was cut off by her supervisor coming over to yell at the inappropriate work behavior.

Sam groaned as more mental pictures of men running off with _**his **_Kurt flooded into his mind. This was going to be the worst plane ride ever.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, Sam sat in the restaurant where he had gotten his first break and drummed his fingers on the table as he waited for his food. He tried not to think about think about the hours he had spent here with Kurt after work but it wasn't working very well. He glanced at the glanced at the table in the corner and saw the moment Kurt had bought their first dump of an apartment online (which was a gigantic let down when they'd actually seen the cramped dump of an apartment) and shared a tender kiss as they imagined where they'd put the few things they two of them owned. His eyes wandered to the bar and he recognized the very stool he'd sat in when he'd asked Burt for his blessing.<p>

_Even the three shots of vodka hadn't succeeded in calming his nerves. He'd been sure Burt would say no and promptly shoot him with his shotgun. Sam had been so ready to flee that he fell off the stool and onto the floor when Burt had replied "Well it's about damned time."_

Sam winced as Burt's next words dragged up another memory. _"I still want grandkids you hear? I don't care how or which one of you fathers it but Kurt will make a great Dad someday and so will you son."_

Tears welled in Sam's eyes as they fell on a table in the center of the room.

"_I'm sorry Dad but it's not going to happen." Four different adoption agencies had deemed Sam and Kurt incapable of raising children because of their careers. A week ago their surrogate had delivered the baby a month early and it hadn't made it. Sam didn't even get a chance to hold his son before he died less than a minute after delivery. Their marriage had almost fallen apart that week from all of the pain. When Kurt told Sam that he didn't want to try anymore, Sam just nodded and left for work. He couldn't handle losing Kurt too._

"_I understand Kurt. Are you guys doing okay?" _

Sam had forced a smile that day and reassured his father in law that he was fine, but as Sam watched the family sitting in the same table, he wasn't fine. He caught the waitress's attention and told her that something had come up and he needed his meal to go. She smiled nicely and raced to the kitchen to put a rush on his order. As the door swung open, Sam caught side of the industrial stove and another memory crashed on him.

_Sam shuffled out of the kitchen and flicked off the lights for the rest of the small diner. His boss had left him over an hour ago to finish the cleanup and prep tomorrow's meals. Normally the prep work would be done the following morning, but Sam would be in school when it needed to be done. The bright side of being the only employee left at night was a significant raise and a set of keys to the building so he could lock up. Above all that, Sam's boss had suggested that he invite a friend over when he had to close so he wouldn't be alone in the building. Sam smiled to himself as he walked up behind his "friend" and wrapped his tired arms around him._

"_You know you're the greatest part of my day?" Sam whispered into Kurt's ear. School was starting tomorrow and Sam was thrilled that he'd have more time to spend with Kurt, despite the difficult schoolwork._

_Kurt shrugged out of Sam's embrace and shut the screen of his laptop with a little too much force. _

"_You've got to stop being nice to me!"_

"_Okay . . . ?"_

"_I'm serious!"_

"_Yeah that's not going to happen." Sam said, still confused about where all this was coming from._

"_How do you expect me to write a Broadway musical if the only bad thing that's happened in my life is some bullying and heart attack scare with my dad? Musicals are about deep tragedy and overcoming that pain. How can I write about pain if I've never really experienced it?"_

_Ever since Kurt had gotten into NYADA, he'd thrown himself into writing the role that would make him a star on Broadway. The world didn't really have a role to fit Kurt's mannerisms and vocal range so Kurt vowed to make one. Apparently, it wasn't going so well._

"_Follow me." Sam said as he pulled Kurt into the abandoned kitchen and flicked on the stove top. "Grab the stove."_

"_No way!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because it'll hurt." Sam tilted his head and raised his eyebrows until Kurt rolled his eyes. "It's not the same thing Sam!"_

"_It is though. You don't have to run into your lost love to understand how it feels when you sing "Someone Like You." Do you think Andrew Lloyd Weber stalked a diva in an opera house with a mask so he could write Phantom? A white man wrote Effie's moving story in Dreamgirls and Cats surely wasn't written by a guy's cat."_

"_Sam. . . "_

"_Look Kurt. Great writers know how to feel something they've never experienced. They put themselves in their character's minds. I don't know anyone who can empathize like you do. You have this amazing ability to understand everything a person's feeling. You'll be a star because you heart that's just spilling over with emotion and you'll put all of that emotion down on paper and I'm just glad I get to watch those words change the world."_

"_Sam." Was all Kurt could say as he looked into Sam's eyes. The emotion welled over in Kurt's chest and he gave into the feeling. He pressed his mouth open against Sam's and strangled the surprised gasp on Sam's lips. Sam twisted Kurt around and pressed him against the large fridge and returned the kiss with a hungry fervor. A confident hand roamed to the small of Kurt's back to pull their bodies closer as their lips meshed together. _

"_Some day you'll leave me for the lead in one of your plays but tonight, you are mine."_

That night Sam lost his virginity to Kurt on the floor of the kitchen. It was amazing but Sam can't help but remember that Kurt never denied his prediction.

Sam's heart froze as his mind started racing. Hating himself for having to do it, Sam texted his neighbor to see if Kurt had stopped by to pick up his suitcase. He got a reply saying Kurt had left over an hour ago with three bags carried by a guy in his twenties. Not even bothering to reply, Sam checked Kurt's plane ticket online and saw that he hadn't checked in yet despite the fact that the plane left in twenty minutes. In a full blown panic, Sam called Kurt but apparently the number had been disconnected. There was no denying it now. Kurt was gone.

Puck had been on the lookout for old friends the past few days. He'd already seen Tina and Mike and all his old football buddies that had made it out of Lima. He'd always been afraid of being stuck in Lima but if being able to support his children and Quinn made him a Lima Loser then he'd wear the name with pride.

He pulled into the only restaurant in town after the health department had shut down Breadstix a few years back and ran inside to pick up dinner for the family. Puck smiled softly at the waitress as he handed over the bags. The waitress kept glancing worriedly at the corner booth. He followed her eye line and saw a blonde mess of hair sitting in silence as tears flooded down his face.

"Sam?"

**Still not sure how everyone will like the new approach to the story. Let me know.**


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